New Start
by Mini Goat
Summary: Luke has asked Gert to shadow her Master's former student. A host of other problems crops up and Gert is beginning to realize the fate of the entire Jedi Order may very well be in the hands of one small less than stellar Jedi Master... Herself.
1. Grainne's Announcement

**Synopsis: This story is based entirely on events in my time RPing on the WOSW site in Yahoo. Gert Yonsz is a member of the Jedi Order. She is respected and loved by many and reviled and feared by almost as many more. She is unaware she is attractive and puts no stress on her personal connections with famous war heros, preferring instead to remain their loyal supporter as she dislikes the appearance of favortisim, family or otherwise. Earlier chapters may eventually be filled in but for now, this is the story of her special assignment to bring down the one enemy that has ever had the courage to try to kill her.**

"Mom mom… wake up!"

Gert let out a muffled groan from under the covers. "change codes…" She grumbled in reference to so many of her family and staff just wandering in and out of she and her husband's Spartan living area simply because it was adjacent to their office. "whhhatt.." She finally whined out when Grainne dragged the covers off of her.

Grainne laughed as Gert swiped thick dark wavy hair out of her face and blinked in the morning light. She laughed because her trim step mother did not have a stitch of clothing on leaving no question how her parents had spent the night before but more because her mom had an incriminating hickey just below her left collar bone. Neither woman had any issues with the other's state of undress and never had. Gert's family was large and immodest and Grainne was simply well adjusted. Not to mention better endowed than her step mom, a fact that they occasionally laughed over. Both knew Grainne's father had simply fallen in love with the exact same sort of woman as he had before, just shorter and skinnier. Grainne was the image of her mother and they shared a certain personality that Gert herself reflected. The two women were very much alike in temperament though Gert was considerably less dramatic and much more self effacing.

"What's so funny?" Gert grumbled as she pulled the lavender rose her husband had taken to putting on the pillow next to her when he left for the morning out of her hair. She didn't care how much she had to do, she refused to keep military hours with him and slept in. None of her students were ever up at the crack of dawn and half her counseling work she had to do after hours because they had administrative jobs driving them crazy all day long. That and she liked having the bed to herself. Her husband, she had discovered, was a bed hog when he wasn't being a cuddle bug.

Gran pointed at the hickey and laughed harder when Gert looked down and blushed slightly but made no effort to cover herself back up. Years of physical labor had left her muscular and flat stomached. She also still had the firm high breasts of a teenager and her face was unlined by the years though she was in her mid thirties and her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled. It was a rare person that guessed her age correctly by her appearance. Gran secretly suspected through her step mom was barely over five feet tall and lacked her daughter's blatant sex appeal, she'd gotten the better deal in the long run as she seemed to have ceased aging somewhere around age twenty five.

"If you're done making fun of me…" Gert arched a brow and pouted. A game they often played. You're picking on me.

"Oh good, you're awake!" She plucked the rose away from Gert's hand and gave it an appreciative whiff. Only her dad would be romantic enough to keep leaving roses on his pillow for his wife to wake up to, knowing that no matter how practical and logical her mom was, it would still get to her, get under her skin, and keep her there by his side. He needn't worry, Gert was a lifer. Coming to terms with her feelings for him and not sacrificing her dedication to being a Jedi had been an up hill struggle and she wasn't about to roll back down that hill any time soon.

Gran, Gert noted, was grinning from ear to ear, still holding that lavender rose. She was dressed in a pair of boxers Gert strongly suspected belonged to Jass and a BUDs instructor shirt that by the size, could only have come out of her husband's closet. Having stolen her share of stuff from him as well she wasn't about to call the kettle black though in her defense, technically everything had come right back. "So are you going to tell me or are you just going to bounce on my bed and make fun of me for having a hickey?"

Unable to contain herself any more, Gran grabbed the other woman's long thin hand and placed it flat against her stomach under her shirt.

Gert's grey eyes went wide and then very soft. "Ooohhh… twins?" Her hand lingered for a moment and then she scooted over and folded the other woman into a warm hug. She sniffled. "My baby is going to be a mommy." She hugged her tighter.

Gran hugged her back. "You're goona be a granndddmmmaaa….." She'd started giggling, there was something a little silly about her stark naked step mom hugging her like crazy and she knew it. "Get dressed grandma, I want to go baby shopping." She said with an affectionate thump on the other woman's thigh.

"Pushy broad. I was trying to sleep." Gert however, got up and silently padded to the dresser to grab clean cloths. Civvies today she decided and pulled out a soft blue sweater that clung to her curves attractively and a well worn pair of space dock slacks.

Gran would never figure out how her mom could move as gracefully as she did sometimes as she had just now and still be such a klutz at others. "I like that one." She said, referring to the sweater. "But if I dressed like that I'd just look fat."

"More so in a few months." Gert said with a wink before she pulled the sweater over her head. "I used to make fun of my grandmother for being short and skinny when I was a kid. No one let me in on the joke until I stopped growing any after age twelve. Cosmic justice if you ask me." She ran a brush through her thick hair and pulled it up into it's familiar bun with a fall of curls in the back that brushed the nape of her neck. "You're not going dressed like that are you?" She said as she made eye contact with her in the vanity mirror.

Gran looked down at her outfit. "What's wrong with it? I'm covered up."

Gert sighed and wondered how to politely explain she was not going to be seen in public with her daughter dressed like a homeless person. Had it been Li, she'd have simply offered her a dress as the Felacatian wore the same size as her, just notable taller and annoyingly prettier. Gran however, was a couple sizes bigger and her chest wouldn't fit into most of Gert's cloths as when she did go out dressed in something other than Jedi robes she wore a fitted, classic style. Things she didn't have to replace because they had become unfashionable as they never went out of fashion. Gran still tended to consider not nude as good enough regardless of where she was going. Thanks mom, Gert thought, for making me nitpicky about her being a reflection of me if she doesn't dress right.

"Gran dear, we'll be out most of the day and it's not very warm, why don't you go put on a pair of slacks and a sweater so you don't have to bring a jacket?" Comon… take the bate kid.

Grainne gave her a suspicious look. Her step mom was a known angler. She looked a little frumpy but who cared? Then it dawned on her, Gert cared. Gert often looked disheveled around the temple but she had seldom looked anything but well put together when she left. The assortment of expensive make up on her vanity proved this. Gran also suddenly realized that no matter how far away she got from that life, her mom was, is and always would still be a princess, and would probably hate being called out on it even if she really didn't know how to slouch or dress sloppy in public. It was ok to look messy at the temple because it was home, family, you were you, not a representation of your family. Her mom had simply redefined family as the Jedi Order.

Gert grinned at the girl as she left and applied her favorite perfume. It smelled suspiciously and almost exactly like her new husband's beloved garden. A menagerie of flowers with a strong overtone of roses followed closely by her personal favorite, irises. She'd had it made when he was missing, something to make her feel closer to him like the lavender rose buds she'd kept in her pocket and his pillow that she'd swiped the morning after he'd disappeared, she'd needed the familiar smell of him near to keep her from falling apart. She then put on just enough makeup so she didn't look the same age as her daughter. Occasionally students came in that were in their late teens or older and invariably they tried hitting on her not realizing she was almost old enough to be their mom. She chuckled at the realization that she'd have grand kids older than her kids. It still stymied her just a little bit that somehow after so many years of knowing kids were a bad idea if she had ones as Force sensitive as her, now she was ready to make some with a man that would produce kids even stronger in the Force than she or her adopted daughter. The deal had been struck however unintentionally as she'd miss-worded what she'd meant and Gert was not one to back down after making a commitment even on accident.

She had, however, told her brother-in-law she'd be dropping them off at his place first chance she got and then taking off in the Eternity Rose to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Pay back, she supposed, for all the rotten students he'd talked her in to taking on. She'd failed very few of them but Gert had found over the years that some people just should not be Jedi, and those people were not going to get past her. One student in particular had learned he would never best the little Den Mother though he'd certainly tried.

Gert walked out of Pap's office and stretched in the morning sunlight. Someone had left the roof open during the night. Gert smiled up at the sun and waited for Gran to come back slightly better dressed then she had been. The compound had changed over the years. At the start it had simply been an extremely large enclosed area with a landing pad and a couple offices. Pap had a lagoon put in and a private garden, one she had doubled in size as his most recent birthday gift having had cultivars shipped from her grandfather's gardens on Coreillia, including an Eternity Rose, the namesake of her ship. Like the white rose with a blue center you only saw when it was full blown, it was a perfectly common looking YT-1300 with stealth paint and several very creative goodie packages… and attuned to respond only to herself and her husband. No one else could fly her, not even if they hot wired her. A reasonably large bungalow sat on the left side of the garden where Ithi lived, on the right side of the garden sat Nic and Kaden's home followed by Gran and Jass' still only partially built home, flanking it. Moiti's tree stood proudly at it's center. The placard was of course gone but it was still his tree, a reminder to students what happened when you did not listen to your lessons.

Gert watched Gran cut across the grass and between the shrubs skirting the launch pad. She had on jeans and a loose sweater. Much better Gert thought. "Think we should com your aunt? She's been dying to go shopping and Luke cut her off a bit ago."

"Did he really?" Gran started to laugh. "Serves her right, I was with her last time. She bought half the mall." She gives her step mother a sly look. "Aunt Mara doesn't have the funds to do that and does, you do and couldn't care less. Sometimes mom, I don't get you."

"Yah, I get that a lot. Drives my mom nuts. No, that implies she was playing with a full sabbac deck to begin with. She seems to like your dad though. Score one for him. Than again, he's rich, of course she'd like him."

"That's not very nice mom."

"Nope, but it's quite honest. Mom won't win any prizes for not having an agenda. She excels at irritating me and I her. Gran, I push people to make sure they love me enough to be honest with me and can deal with my moods but once I know I stop doing it unless it's needed. I don't play alpha games, I don't need to. Mom has to be in charge. Period. If you buck her on any point, she makes you suffer for it."

Gran laughed. "Sounds like someone I know, but as she said, she stops once the pecking order is established. Mebby your mom just doesn't like you being her equal?" She said this as they walked out of the compound and onto the grounds for the main temple which was even larger than BUDs if that was possible.

"Actually, mom doesn't like that she's not my equal. Dad has been refereeing since I was thirteen. Before that I was kind of mousy."

"Mom, I have a _very_ active imagination and mousy doesn't describe you."

"It did twenty years ago. Com your aunt, see what her plans are today."

"What, none of your Shadows know where she is?"

"Funny. I'll tell your uncle to put you in agri-corps you know."

"Oh like _that's_ a punishment for anyone in our family."

"Ok… you have a point. I've told your uncle that when he's threatened me with it too actually. Com your aunt."

"Yah yah… How long do you think it will take dad to tell everyone?"

"What time is it?"

Gran started to laugh. Ok, yah, it's dad. Speaking of dad's inability to keep a secret, when are you two having a public ceremony so Lighty quits asking me when you are getting married?" They were well across the temple on their way out when Mara finally answered them. "Aunt Mara will meet us there."

"Good. We can have lunch. Um… you know, I don't know if we will do that. You know I don't like a production made of things. If we do the public thing mom and dad will be invited and it will become a production. No question." Gert frowned at the memory of every one of her cousin's and her brother's overblown weddings. "Knowing him though, if he's made up his mind we'll have one. I can say no until I'm out of breath and he'll still win."

Gran started to laugh and Gert looked at her quizzically. "I didn't…" Gran gasped between fits of laughter. "didn't know you guys…" another laughing gasp "played those.. heh heh… those games." Gran now held her stomach laughing.

"You just keep making fun there. Look where those games got you." Gert grinned. "Besides, we got married the day after you. The shine isn't off the newlywed apple just yet." She gives her daughter a naughty look. "But we're working on it."

"Oh you wana play do you? You know dad's track record. You won't last a month."

"I will too. The negotiations with the Don are more important than planning a family right now. Besides I'm still not sure he and I having kids is that good of an idea. We both have responsibilities and obligations to the Order. Aside from that, Pinky likes to use me for target practice. I'm not putting a child at risk because that putz wants a piece of my shebs." She sighs. "And then there's the whole uber Jedi thing. Bad enough I am but combined with your dad, our kids will make us look like ugnauts at a gamorrean convention."

"Hey, careful with the uber Jedi stuff." Gran muttered, still hating the nick name Pappy had used to describe them both.

"Sorry, sometimes I forget that one is up there with Ithi asking me if she can kill a student." Gert frowned. "Your dad keeps bringing up my mom. I have this terrible suspicion he'll do something annoying like have her come visit."

"How does that tie in?"

"Well, you remember how hard I pushed you until you stood up for yourself because your dad was gone and Dawn was trying to tear down BUDs?"

"The surgically implanted spine by force? Yah, wasn't that the night the new Council shredded Uncle Luke while Aunt Mara was away on a mission?"

"Same night. Well, mom does the same thing, except after you push back and prove to her you aren't a weenie, she just keeps pushing some more until you want to turn to the dark side and force choke her."

"And we thought you had alpha issues."

"No dear, I establish the pecking order then stand above the game while the rest of you jockey for position, I already know mine. Mom on the other hand keeps reestablishing her position as alpha long past the point where you got the message and well into the point where you feel like you have no position."

"I'm starting to see why your always so competitive then. Always trying to prove you pass muster made you over compensate."

"By SSD fulls Gran. It was one of the reasons I wasn't _real_ unhappy that Hal Horn told me to never come back to CorSec space."

"Makes sense. Don't you miss the rest of your family though?"

"Some but it's not like we don't talk and a few parsecs between mom and I keeps the peace. Her snide remarks are easier to ignore in small doses."

They had reached the shopping district and were now looking blissfully in windows at assorted trinkets and especially shoes. Gert, tired and distracted by her research as well as the stress of trying to convince the Galactic Goodfellows that they really didn't want to pick a messy drawn out battle with the Jedi Order was blissfully unaware that she was making a liar of herself. She was already a week pregnant. She and Pappy had not made it so much as a day let alone a month. She would not be aware of this fact for another week however though her husband was even now in the process of informing his best friend he was a married man in spite of their agreement to keep things quiet. Gert's current investigation was stalling anyways so their marriage remaining secret was starting to be a non issue. Jacen Molar had almost all the information he needed to make an arrest they had ample proof of treason meaning Gert would soon be free to do as she wished with the exception of corralling her probationary students. That was a permanent project.

"Ok, let's hit the baby store mom." Gran grinned at her step mom and linked elbows with her. The two women walked arm in arm into the local baby mega store and ooed and ahhed over tiny cloths and cute childish furniture. "So why didn't you just tell me I was pregnant when you knew three weeks ago?"

"I tried to. You didn't want to believe me." Gert looked thoughtfully at a bassinette as she said this and started mentally tallying up what it was going to run to outfit a nursery for twin boys. Identical ones, Gert had only sensed one baby when she first knew Gran was with child.

"Well I was a _little_ bit stressed out mom. Dad was missing presumed dead and ok _you_ knew for certain he was alive but he had me pretty convinced that was a real ghost. Jass was away on a mission plus we'd broken up just as you and dad had and you became totally withdrawn plus Dawn was trying to screw over the school."

"I know sweetie and I am sorry he put you through that. He felt he had no choice at the time."

"Yah well you weren't in the best shape either mom. I don't care if you did know he was alive and he was using that doppelganger trick to talk to you, you looked like death warmed over most of the time. You didn't think he was going to survive did you?"

Gert looked at Gran. "To be honest, no, I was scared for his life. What he was doing was stupid and crazy and somewhat suicidal." She sighed. "And out of stubbornness and fear I'd broken up with him and never got the chance to tell him how I felt about him." She smiled wryly. "He could have at least kissed me when he saw me."

"Oh yah cause you looked _so_ happy to see him too mom…"

"I was."

"You were glaring vibro blades at him."

"I was not."

"Yes you were. You looked like you wanted to slice and dice him."

"Well he's the one that was all happy and huggy on everyone else and said oh hi Gert like I was the delivery lady not the love of his life."

"Ok, I'll give you that one but what did you expect? You broke up with him."

"But I'd talked to him the day before and told him if he didn't interfere with what I'm doing right now I'd marry him as soon as it's over with." She frowned. "That should have counted for something at least."

"True, but as far as anyone knew you guys weren't together anymore and he was just being careful."

"In BUDs? He built that security system. He knows there are no bugs. Hem, aside from that I was staring vibro blades at him because what I really wanted to do was inappropriate for public."

"I feel that way when Jass comes home from missions too. It's like you can't stop yourself isn't it?"

"Very much so. As attracted to him as I always have been, that was the first time he came home from a mission that just knowing he was ok wasn't enough. Making out in the turbo lift of the Miljolnir didn't help things any either. I didn't sleep that night and neither did your dad. That's why we took off for Naboo the morning after your wedding. We didn't have any barriers left to keep us from acting on how we felt and neither of us was getting any sleep trying not to."

"Might I remind you mom that Jass and I have been sexually active for months?"

"Gran, it's not like your dad and I are innocents and saving ourselves for marriage either of us but we wanted our physical relationship to be for the right reason. Not for being hot for each other."

"Ok.. mom.. boundaries…."

"Right. Because you observe those yourself."

"Yah, but that's different… He's my dad. Ew."

Gert laughed. "Ok, point taken. My grandmother did that to me once and I had to wash my brain out with soap for days."

"Oh, but it's ok for you to talk about doing the nasty with my dad…" Gran gave her step mom a snarky grin before turning back to perusing baby items. "Mom, how do I decide how to decorate the babies' room? I had a hard enough time picking out a color for the bedroom Jass and I could agree on."

"You ask the woman that sleeps in her husband's office dear. I don't know what to tell you other than choose what pleases you the most. It's about lunch time, why don't we get over to the café to meet your aunt so you can tell her the good news."

Gran grinned nervously. "If dad hasn't gotten to her yet."

Gert thought or me two weeks ago when I knew for sure and asked her not to speak of it until you were ready. "Yah, but you know she will pretend to be surprised for you even if she's not." Gert winked at her step daughter. "She's good at playing at gee I didn't know."

They walked together to the café, not really talking about anything particularly important, just happy to be together away from prying eyes and pretense. Neither were dressed as Jedi and their sabers were in their purses so they looked like a couple of perfectly normal women out enjoying a morning shopping. One small with dark, gold flecked haired, the other taller with a head full of red hair with purple highlights.

They reached the café and were seated by a window. Shortly Mara showed up, also dressed as a civilian though she had her saber clipped to her black pants, her green blouse offsetting her dark red hair and green eyes. Gran waved her aunt over and the three of them hugged randomly before they all sat again.

"What's the special today? I'm starved and we have Council tonight so I know I won't get dinner. Don't forget you and Pappy have to be there tonight Gert."

Gert put some serious thought into whining, asking if they had to and pleading a terrible case of food poisoning later. "Why are we being punished too?" Gert's eyes pleaded with her sister-in-law to not have to go. She had served her term on Council. Had not cared for it, and actively looked for ways to avoid doing so again for as long as possible. Realistically she knew Luke and Mara would convince her to do it again but hopefully no time in the near future.

Mara laughed. Gert and Pappy were arguably the Order's mavericks. The lived in the now, planned for every possible thing to go wrong out of a mutual sense of paranoia and infallibly had a plan when things went south that would get everyone's butts out of the fire. If you wanted to know where the trouble was, you looked for them. They could always find it.

When Luke had made noises about retraining for some of the kids in the order when it got too large for him to personally watch all of them and a couple were getting out of control, Pappy had been a first choice to found a reinstruction school. He had always been strongly paternal and like Luke and Gert, was a Rebellion veteran who didn't take any foolishness from the kids that came through the doors of the temple though he was very caring as well.

Knowing her older brother had been harboring an unspoken love for the little healer, Mara had put the idea in his head to ask Gert to teach there. Much to Mara's chagrin, Gert had simply not at all noticed her brother's feelings. Rather than teach at the school Gert took her students to the meditation gardens. Pap had a garden put in at BUDs so she'd choose there to teach and Gert didn't even notice. He started dating other women and rather than get upset or angry, Gert avoided him and stayed out of his way.

Mara truly loved her brother and sister-in-law both but found them to be slightly more bone headed than her husband. Something she really never thought she'd believe of anyone. Luke had been impressed enough with the two of them and their teaching skills that he'd decided to put all the kids through their basic course work figuring this would get Gert and his brother-in-law to work more closely. Frustrated with Gert's failure to notice his feelings he hired Quin Vos' newly graduated padawan to help teach thinking Gert would at least become territorial and fight for her job. This attempt failed as well when Gert spent her time teaching her disciplinary issue students away from the school and leaving the younglings to he and Dawn. Hurt, angry and frustrated, Mara's brother resorted to picking fights with the woman he was in love with to get any reaction at all out of her, even a negative one. Surprisingly, this had been what had finally broken through her reserve and forced her to admit she was attracted to him as well. It had been one of those spectacular fights between them in the TapCafe kitchen over a soon to be burnt gornt that led to their first and very passionate kiss and her admitting that she had feelings for him as well.

Luke had told Mara that her brother and his long time friend reminded him very much of his sister and best friend. Like Pap, it had taken Han years to get Leia to own up to being in love with him not to mention his imminent death. Gert and Leia shared a sharp temper and an overwhelming sense of duty that got in the way of personal needs. There wasn't a lot Mara could say about Gert's actions, she had fought her own feelings for Luke for a couple years before she'd realized they weren't going away.

Now as Gran excitedly shared her happy news Mara worried about the dark circles under Gert's eyes and the exhaustion on her face. Negotiations were alternating between going well and tanking and Mara suspected Gert wasn't sleeping well when she could sleep which she seemed to be doing rather frequently. It wasn't like Gert to run out of steam in the middle of the day. It wasn't like Gert to run out of steam at all unless she was ill.

"Gert, are you ok?"

"Huh? Yah, I'm all right, just over tired probably. It's been one thing after another for months now and I think I'm getting close to tapped out is all." Gert smiled wanly and picked at her salad. Her stomach had taken to bothering her from stress and now she was suffering bouts of exhaustion as well. Gert started to wonder if she was suffering from depression for some reason. The symptoms just did not add up in any other direction. The other day she'd had a few shots of scotch, nothing she wasn't accustomed to and had passed out in Pap's office for several hours shortly after negotiations. She was starting to make people worry by Mara's tone and she didn't like doing that to people. Especially not family. Especially not Mara who already had plenty to deal with as things were.

Mara continued giving her sister in law a worried and slightly suspicious look. She had her own thoughts on what was wrong with Gert. Thoughts her husband had privately expressed as well. What surprised her was that Gert, an extremely strong empathic healer hadn't thought of that first. My sister-in-law she thought in amusement, queen of denial. Doesn't want to be so refuses to consider the possibility. I'll make a bet with Farmboy tonight about how long it is before stubborn here figures it out or someone has to confirm it. My bets on her not believing anyone that suggests it she thought with a smile. Better her than me!

Mara turned her attention back to her niece but kept a watchful eye on Gert who was fading quickly. Definitely going to be taking a cab home today. Gert would be completely exhausted by the time they got back to the temple if they did not. Nine more months of this little sister she thought. Good luck with that. Pap would be thrilled though. Mara knew her older brother would like nothing more than to make a child with his wife. For the last couple years if there was a baby announcement he'd give Gert one of those looks only a man desiring children of his own looks at the woman he wants to have them with. It had been one of those looks that had clued Mara in on his feelings for Gert. Attraction was one thing, when a man looked at you like that he was in it for the long haul. Gert had been unknowingly doomed from the time she'd met him. It was a good fit. Gert forced Pap to think things all the way through instead of just rushing in to them with no thought of what happens if his plan _doesn't_ work. He needed that Mara acknowledged. Pap in turn, helped Gert unwind and relax, something she desperately needed as well. Gert must have relaxed a lot to have accidentally gotten pregnant so quickly she thought with wry amusement.

Gert smiled at her sister-in-law and daughter as Gran giddily told Mara all about how thrilled she was to be expecting and asked about family names and then about what Mara had gone through carrying Ben, her older cousin. She ordered a caf in the hopes of it keeping her upright. She had to sit down with the Don again tomorrow. They had given Lighty the weekend to talk to the other members of the GG and come to some accord. Gert desperately hoped they could reach agreement tomorrow. Friday had been disastrous when Angie had gone on the Holonet news and expressed a personal opinion that had nothing to do with what Gert had been assured by Luke and Mara both not to mention her own diplomatic team member Ithi who was currently holding a position on the Council herself that the Council would stand behind the negotiations so long as there was forward progress no matter how slow. Nothing official was done to Angie but Gert had desperately petitioned the other woman to apologize privately to the Don and explain her words had been as an individual not a Council member. Something that left Gert chagrined as she knew once you sat on Council, you were never allowed a personal opinion again that was not seen as that of the Council as well. Gert had walked out of Lighty's office filled with definite hope until she'd received a com from him to turn on the news and there was her BUDs staff mate and newly minted Council member expressing her opinion that all members of the GG should be eradicated as they were nothing but criminals and there seemed to be no progress with negotiations at all. Gert had spent the better part of an hour reasoning with Lighty and unruffling his feathers to keep him or Prime or Jimmy from doing something rash to the woman like put a hit on her.

As things stood, Pap had purchased a planet earlier in the week and told her he was leaving, he'd had enough. He'd watched members of the order kick his wife when she was down one too many times. Several of them refused to let it go that they had failed to salvage a mission that had gone bad. A kid had died. The most brilliant strategist would have still failed because the kid involved had refused to follow directions to the point that it became a form of suicide. Many of them blatantly blamed her for the kid's death not realizing no one blamed her more than herself. Not because she caused his death but because she'd been unable to prevent it in any way in spite of great effort to.

He'd been shocked by her reaction then when told to choose between the Order that was treating her so harshly she sometimes cried herself to sleep and her husband who she loved on such a level she'd do almost anything for him, she'd been unable to choose without her heart breaking in either case. He'd not realized what asking her to run away cost her emotionally. To admit she'd failed so badly that there was no hope. When he did realize that was the reason, he'd handed the deed to the planet over to his best friend, Lighty, in a show of faith in the negotiations Gert had started and understanding that the Order would always come first. Gert strongly felt she owed them for tolerating some of her past behavior, Luke and Mara most especially and neither of them wanted her to leave at all. They both knew Gert was innocent of any crime and had both been making an effort to dissuade others from that train of thought as well.

Gert's reaction to her husband giving away his grand plan to save her was such a show of faith, love and understanding that Gert had been left completely speechless most of the rest of Friday. No one but her father had ever understood her feelings so well. Gran had very teasingly told her new mother that she was marking her calendar because it was the first time she had _ever_ seen Gert speechless about anything. Pap had patted her hand in the private shuttle they took back to the temple and Gert had subsequently kissed the daylights out of him right in front of Ithi who was piloting and Gran who had been sitting next to Gert. She hadn't cared. Both the girls knew and they weren't in public and it was absolutely the nicest thing _anyone_ had ever done for her. Her husband had very enthusiastically kissed her back.

Their luncheon eventually wound down and Mara called them a shuttle. Gert was making a valiant attempt but Mara could see she was ready to drop whether she realized it or not. Her sister-in-law was not always easily read but Mara had known her for quite some time and knew when Gert was tapped out just as well as when she knew her husband was. She smiled in amusement when Gert dozed off almost immediately after sitting in the shuttle.

The reached the temple and Gran gently nudged her step mom awake. "Hey lazy, we're home."

Gert blinked and concealed a yawn. "I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking."

"You snore when you think mom."

Gert smiled sheepishly and helped Gran with their bags.

"I know you don't want to go Gert but please be on time for the Council meeting." Mara said with an affectionate smile.

"Will do." Gert gave herself a mental shake to clear her head as Mara walked away in the direction of her office.

Mara com'ed her husband on the way through the temple back to her office. "One hundred credits says Gert doesn't admit she's pregnant until a healer says so."

Luke's voice was amused when he com'ed her back. "You're on Red. Gert is smarter than that, she's a healer and very Force sensitive, she probably already knows and thinks Pap will be mad."

"See you in Council Farmboy." She clicked off her com and smiled as she keyed in her brother's SSD. "Hey big brother, don't forget you have to attend the Council meeting tonight. See you there. By the way Gert is acting strangely, try to get her in to see a healer if you can." That ought to do it she thought. Who says I'm above treachery for credits?


	2. Can we discuss this in Committee?

They stood together, his left arm wrapped gently around her about mid rib

They stood together, his left arm wrapped gently around her about mid rib. Neither was on the Council and yet here they were, as usual, helping Luke sort things out. Other masters had been called in as well but these two were in a unique position. Everyone knew he was a spy, very few knew she was as well, or how many times she had saved the order from some plot or another simply by knowing who she knew. Luke had more than once tagged her for her diplomatic skills realizing it was her connections not her ability to be heard that got him what he wanted though she had plenty of skill in that area as well. She had once been far less involved, content to teach and heal and counsel those in need of an ear. She'd been content to simply mock Davva for many years in spite of his repeated attempts to ruin her life. Having failed at breaking her he'd started attacking her physically in recent months. Aware that he had it in for her, she'd started showing up when he tore up bars simply to distract him during the fight. On a strange level she found his quest to ruin her amusing. He wanted her respect. All he received was pity and mocking contempt.

Her husband's right hand trailed down her arm, sending a warm wave of desire straight to her belly, likely his intent. Sooner or later they would have to own up to that trip to Naboo and the decision they made that morning, but not yet. Too much was still at stake. Euso was not there or neither would be as open about their closeness. As far as most of the order knew, they had decided to remain good friends and nothing more. Though she had used the opportunity to not lie to a Shadow and current Council member and say that no, they were not dating. A statement which taken at face value is true. Her own master did not know though her husband's daughter and son-in-law knew because she'd been unable to keep the news completely to herself and all but run into their bungalow to tell them and so did her husband's sister Mara and their brother-in-law Luke because Pap had not either. Luke's son and daughter-in-law did not nor did some of their closest friends, Lighty was extremely upset with them for neither telling him nor inviting him when Pap had talked to him that morning though he'd understood when Pap had hedgingly explained their reasons for keeping things quiet for now..

Their duties made it easier to make things look a certain way as well. He was commanding a fleet in preparation for the war and she was protecting the younglings on Luke's Sanctuary moon base as well as openly trying to convince members of the order to put duty and honor before their studies and meditation and help defend the galaxy. So their relationship appeared to others as a close friendship which upset some as many openly expressed their opinion that they belonged together. Gert smiled just a bit every time she heard this. More mornings than not she got up early and flew out to his SSD to have a few precious moments alone with him if he did not meet her at the school or show up unannounced at the moon base. At the rate those trips were going eventually they would have to admit to the marriage. Gran being pregnant had sent her hormones into over drive and her husband was not helping things by being baby happy himself. She'd bribed him when he'd com'ed her on the way home from his last mission, if he'd step back and make things appear as they were when he left so she could insinuate herself with Davva's mole, she'd agree to marry him. He'd confronted her once again about having commitment issues so she'd called his bluff. She'd sort of meant after the investigation but he'd had sense enough to know her honor would come into question and had convinced her to have a private ceremony before things got any deeper. Gran was deliberately playing up animosity in public between them as well, making things a territory issue which Gert really wasn't sure was a good idea at the moment as it suggested things were firmer between she and Pappy than they were letting on. As Gran was trying to prove someone was a false friend, Gert was playing along, for now.

Luke glanced over at them and smiled. Knowing she'd be the object of attention in a moment she stepped away from her husband and put on her Sabbac face.

"Your report Master Gert." Jacan was curt, a necessity that bothered Gert deeply as they were old friends but one that could not be helped. It could not appear that he trusted her at this time, that any of the council did though she had the support of many of them should she need it. Ironically, even the one who believed he was investigating her when in fact she was keeping tabs on him. Their first clue really should have been the fact that Euso always seemed to be there first when Davva showed up to cause trouble and for some reason, Davva had yet to kill the seemingly bumbling fool.

"Thus far, Sanctuary base is secure. I have seen no sign of Sith infiltration." Well other than our traitor loitering about. "The Rogues have been invaluable in deterring open assault on the school. HiVolt has also been invaluable in his support. Ben has graduated as a healer so we now have three full healers on staff. Master Angie has stepped up her efforts in training the older younglings and transferring them back down to the BUDs main campus for further training in saber arts and assignment to Masters of their own."

"And your personal students?"

Oh boy, you had to ask didn't you. "Revan has been released from probation. He has opted to join the Shadows and infiltrate Black Sun. Jeff has been asked to leave the Order as most of you know. He is openly violent and has more than once tried to intimidate younglings and younger women in the order. I find these traits to be neither excusable nor do I see any understanding on his part as to the unacceptableness of such behavior in a Jedi. Zeke is struggling a bit emotionally due to his bionic arms hampering his control of the Force. I may have a solution to that issue which I will discuss with Master Caitlin after the meeting. Moiti, I hope, finally understands his position and the danger he is in. I would like to ask that he be made to complete at least two more saber forms and learn hand to hand combat before he takes his knight trials. He is also in considerable debt to the Kenobi family and needs to work off that debt as condition of him becoming a knight."

"I believe Master Gert, that decision will be up to the council." Liana Ordo Skywalker said firmly.

"No, I'm sorry but it is not. I'm the only instructor handling special cases and Pappy is the only one authorized to hire another staff member in that capacity. Given my present standing with the Don, the boy is in very real danger if he goes out without me or a member of the Kenobi family you are putting the boy in grave risk by assigning him to another Master. Ithi has other responsibilities and it would take me weeks to groom another specialized instructor. Gran right now is the only candidate Pappy or I would consider and she is off planet at the moment and pregnant as well. Some of these kids are foolish enough to do things that put their Master in danger. I will not do that to her or her children at this time.

I have begun a mentoring program to offset BUDs. This has worked very well for Zeke and Moiti and has potential to work well for Sacrifice and a few others. Sac put himself in a great deal of danger getting involved with Black Sun and playing at being a Shadow when he is not. I chose mentors by two factors, did they struggle themselves and are now acting in a manner becoming a Jedi or do they have a natural talent to show how to live what I teach.

I do not presume to tell the Council how to do their jobs, please do not tell me how to do mine." She made eye contact with each member as she said this, knowing her point was well made.

"We'll take it under advisement Gert, the Council has not lost faith in your ability to turn troubled students around." Luke smiled gently at her. He knew it would be a long time before his sister-in-law lost her defensiveness over the matter. Moiti's actions had cost her a reputation that was once in very good standing. Some in particular seemed determined to continue to throw it in her face regardless of the personal pain the whole thing cost her. Her family at least, had finally had the good sense to resolve part of the issue by shunning one of the worst offenders, up to and including voting said person out of their position at BUDs and excusing them from the staff for misrepresenting the school. It had been presented as due to chronic absenteeism but Luke wasn't the least bit fooled. That side of his family stuck together like bondo on an x-wing. He sometimes wished the Solos were as steadfast. He had watched the Kenobi family fight like rancors amongst each other and turn as one when attacked from the outside.

Gert nodded and the meeting continued on. All the Masters that had been called in still had to wait to the end of the meeting due to the final agenda item otherwise she'd have left in spite of her negotiations with the Don being part of the discussion. She was relieved to note that the Council was being directed to stand behind said continuing negotiations so long as progress was being made. She would be back in Lighty's office tomorrow to continue convincing him that he wanted to do things their way. The day to day grind didn't interest her beyond the school and in her opinion, that was Gran's problem now. She and Pap had stepped down from running BUDs directly though she was still teaching and big decisions still hit his desk before they implemented them, if nothing else out of courtesy. All four senior staff members now lived on campus which eliminated some of the previous confusion as well. In her zeal for control, Dawn had tried to force Gert out and manipulate Gran, something Gert had swiftly put a stop to by pushing Gran until she fought back. Anyone with the stones to stand up to Gert could more than handle a second rate manipulator like Dawn. Gert was not about to let her step daughter be controlled by anyone, especially not when it came to the school she and Pappy had founded together. Gert rather suspected Dawn had some hand in Liana's attitudes towards her as well. An issue she would let Gran deal with, cousin to cousin.

The agenda filed through line item by line item, boring Gert nearly to tears. She could think of many things she'd rather do with her time tonight. Gardening, going to the pub and making love to her husband topping the list though not quite in that order.

"The final item tonight everyone is the status of the war." Luke looked tired, tired enough for Gert to worry. "As some of you know, we did not win Kyshakk. We have hopes of doing better in the future. I would like to thank Master Stitch and the Kenobi family in particular as the Knights of Tython have been invaluable in their assistance. There is much work to be done. It is my hope that the situation can be resolved with treaties and not with bloodshed. I would like to remind all of you that there is strength in numbers. We will need the support of all the Jedi if we are to make this work."

Luke continued on but Gert had stopped paying very much attention. They had been unable to argue for the support from worlds they would like thus far. The only contribution the Knights of Tython would probably be making was a show of force. Gert had long ago given up her days of proving her point with a lightsaber. She'd rather not pick the habit back up. Life is sacred, all life. Even Baldy's she thought with a smirk. Her husband was working on an exit plan if things got too ugly. Most of the order would in fact, fit on his ship. He seemed to have very strong feelings on keeping his family safe. Gert figured if he cooped the entire order up on his ship however they might all drive each other batty. Ah well, we'd at least get to spend time together. SSD barracks have locks. Coded ones. And officers quarters had their own fresher and mini kitchen. You could lock yourself in for days at a time. Gert was all for that. She had lost count of the number of times she and her husband had tried to go on a date before they were married only to be thwarted by students and peers alike. Having resorted to getting married in secret they met each other clandestinely that way now too.

She could feel him staring at her. His warm gaze reminding her of how they had spent their dinner meeting yesterday about the security on Sanctuary base. It had not involved very much discussion or very much dinner. Were she less disciplined, the desire she felt for him would have shown on her face as she thought of his warm hands on her, his mouth tasting her everywhere his hands touched. She consoled herself with knowing he could feel her want. An unexpected side affect of her teaching him how to create a doppelganger and him using that method to contact her directly had been an almost shared consciousness, especially if one was specifically thinking of or to the other. Their consecutive train of thoughts had nothing to do with their brother-in-law's exhausted description of the war efforts or the animosity some of the Order felt for either of them or the very real threat Davva presented. She felt some amusement at his desire to sit down after one of her more creative fantasies. Serves you right old Mule, you started it by trying to distract me before it was my turn to talk. She felt little repentance from him but a great deal of healthy lust for his wife. She wasn't going to complain. Her wish to go putz in the garden or hit the bar faded to the back of her mind.

Luke finished up his status report on the current situation of the war. "In conclusion, I'd like to welcome my brother-in-law home from his mission." Luke smiled conspiratorially at Pappy, he'd helped plan the mission and had known from the start what the other man was up to. He was glad one of the results had been Pap's marriage to Gert. His old friend and brother-in-law were very suited for one another. His brother-in-law had been harboring a deep love for the runty little mechanic turned healer for the last couple of years. She would settle him down some Luke conjectured, force the older man to consider the consequences of his actions more. Pap made Gert laugh. Luke had started to miss her laughter. She'd done little of it in recent years.

Everyone had expected Gert and Wes' on again off again romance to eventually have a happy ending. When it had not and Gert finally gave up on his habit of wanting her when he was between girlfriends she'd become overly serious and often withdrawn. Pap was slowly drawing the person Luke remembered back out of his dear friend and now sister-in-law and that relieved Luke greatly. He'd also made sure while Pap was gone to be around to lean on. He'd not realized sending Pap on the mission he had would hurt Gert as deeply as it had. He should have known Gert was sharp enough to know the man she loved might not make it back alive and being truly separated from him for the first time since knowing him would depress her deeply. The last time he'd seen a woman look that shell shocked it had been his sister when Han had been frozen in carbonite. So far Gert didn't seem to be blaming either man. Luke was glad of that, the wife of a Shadow had to be able to accept having the love of her husband for as long as he was around to give it. Gert's position was largely clerical. When she did move actively it was to gather intelligence or get a hold of evidence before it disappeared down a bolt hole. Not exactly a field operative the way Pappy was though she did her share of time on her feet.

Pap watched the council meeting in bored interest. His mind was on other things. Mostly his new wife who stood in front of him. It was a much nicer view than the Council members he couldn't see because she was blocking them. He had gone hunting as his wife put it because he'd had enough of Davva threatening people he cared about. Most especially his wife. He was deeply and perhaps foolishly in love with her and had been for a couple years now. She had infatuated him from the start with her unruffled and often amused reactions to the most stress-full situations and her penetrating soft grey eyes that changed with her mood. During their first mission together she'd taken out a battalion of stormtroopers without ever igniting her saber or swiping one of their blasters. She was willful and blunt in her honesty and the most compassionate person he knew. She was incredibly driven without having any desire for power or ambition to greatness. He had a very firm belief that she would go down in the holocrons as one of the greatest Jedi to live, not because she was a master of the blade, but because she made a difference anywhere she went.

She'd changed him. She'd drawn out the long forgotten honesty and thought for others that he'd set aside years ago out of necessity. He felt compassion for those he'd have scorned as un-savable in his not so recent past because he saw them through her eyes now. He had once desired to kill any who hurt the ones he loved, through her he'd learned to let go of that need of vengeance and worked towards a less final judgment. H

He'd gone on the mission he had in the hopes of drawing Davva out and arresting him. In part, it had worked, Davva had felt much more at ease knowing Pappy was gone and proceeded to attack his wife physically as the month progressed. This had not pleased Pap in any way. His wife was a fierce fighter, but only if she was protecting someone. She'd taken out so many stormtroopers on their first mission because at the time, his Force abilities were underdeveloped and so was his use of a saber. She had been protecting him. She would defend herself when personally attacked but only defend. It was next to impossible to get her to draw her blade in self defense though she would if it became absolutely necessary.

His love for her overwhelmed him sometimes. So much so that when he'd finally told her she'd been frightened and dismayed by it. He had thought she had a fear of commitment only to learn that actually, she feared not measuring up to what she felt he was worthy of. They had eventually had several heart to hearts on this matter and had lain in bed one night, wrapped in each others arms, legs still tangled together laughing that they each had thought the other deserved better than them and not acted on their feelings sooner.

Gert had walked away from him before he left, afraid of her feelings and afraid what she felt was only distracting them both from what was right for the Order only to find in his absence that her heart was empty without him. She'd admitted to him that she'd been desperately afraid of her feelings for him only to discover she was more desperately afraid of him not being in her life. Though she'd rarely admit it, he knew how deeply the fear had gone if for no other reason that she'd not been able to joke about it when they bickered.

He'd come home when his investigation put Gert and Gran in more danger than he was willing to tolerate. He'd lost one woman he loved, he wasn't about to lose another whether she loved him back or not. She'd promised to marry him without saying she loved him. He wasn't going to go through with it until she could say it. She had finally, on the landing deck of the Mjolnir, he'd had to goad it out of her knowing the answer already but she'd said it. Once said however she'd let him the rest of the way into her heart and he had no regrets. The Force bond they had created in his absence had made lies impossible. This did not mean they didn't still bicker now and again, but it did mean they had reason to trust each other completely.

He wondered sometimes what she saw in a prematurely grey tired old soldier and her response had varied on her mood but held one consistency, she loved that she could completely trust him in every way. He'd loved her regardless of her loving him back or not. She'd been able to feel it in the Force when he'd contact her as a doppelganger. Few in her life had known her for who and what she was and loved her completely. It had given her the bravery to trust her own heart, something she'd been unable to do previously. Even with him.

He'd watched her stand up the Council once again and was filled with pride that she didn't back down and didn't just let them win. She would if it would resolve the issue but at this time, caving in would be weak and craven of her and she was neither. Never had been. His wife was the strongest person he knew and that had nothing to do with her Force abilities and everything to do with her incredibly indestructible heart.

The Council meeting started to break up and Revan Skywalker walked over to Pappy to discuss some security issues. Gert moved away to give them some privacy. If it was important to her investigation, Pap would tell her later she knew. She looked through the milling crowd for her diminutive Master, Stitch. Spotting him speaking to Cait she walked over and bowed to him. It was rather a joke, the formality, they were well past such things but still found it amusing.

"Good evening my Master. Good evening Cait." Caitlin was the current head of the infirmary and therefore, Gert's boss though like her other bosses, she was given free reign unless the issue was something that might require more authority.

Stitch hopped into her arms and swiped the flask from inside her robe as expected. Gert gave her master a warm cuddle before setting him down. She'd never been able to resist hugging or even occasionally petting her master. She'd done so mistakenly first as a student and rather than a reprimand had been ordered to give him a belly scratch as well. He had such a warm gentle soul she couldn't stop herself sometimes. Well, plus he was cute and furry. She liked hugging Ithi for the same reason. Gert's natural empathy made animal friendship rather pointless, animals liked her anyways. Small children did as well. She just sometimes had to remind herself cute and furry didn't always mean nice. In her Master's case however, it meant both.

"Stitch has missed his padawan, how is she?"

"Tired my Master, it has been a very difficult couple of months."

"Stitch knows this. His padawan works too hard. She should take a vacation. Even Stitch thinks it's good to get away from ohana sometimes, even if Stitch loves his ohana as much as his padawan does."

Gert smiled as her Master took a long slug from her flask. Carrying it had become more habit than anything else as of late. Good whiskey was no longer a splurge or a theft with her husband's money to supply anything she could wish for and so a sneak here and there was no longer the fun it once was.

"Our ohana needs us right now Master, even if I am tired and need a vacation."

"Stitch's padawan is right as usual. Stitch also knows how important it is to his padawan to help her ohana and keep it safe. Stitch is glad to see Master Pappy home as well, Stitch knows his padawan loves Pappy most of all."

Gert blushed slightly.

"Stitch needs to talk to Master Pappy about the war. Stitch will talk to his padawan again later if there is time." And with that Gert's small blue master bounded over to Pappy and hopped into his arms much the way he had Gert's.

Cait watched Gert's master and chuckled. "He's always been like that."

"Has he? Darn, and here I felt special."

Cait smiled in gentle amusement. "So, what did you want to discuss with me about Zeke?"

"A can verses a should issue. I did a little research, there is a way to get him new arms but the ethics are a bit hedgy. A clone could be made with an underdeveloped brain stem and the arms harvested. The issues being it's a short cut because he's having difficulty controlling the Force and there is the moral questions about making a clone with the sole purpose of harvesting parts."

Cait nodded. "Valid points, and yet if we can do it, is it ethical to make the boy suffer needlessly. You are right, it can easily be done provided unlimited funds."

"But it's not necessarily right to do." Luke had walked up behind Gert and quietly joined their conversation. "My bionic hand does not stop me from using the Force."

"No Luke, but you didn't start out with it, you were already partially trained when Vader cut off your hand. Zeke is much younger than you were at that time and has no training at all. Technically, because he cannot focus the Force through his hands he cannot pass BUDs, now obviously allowances were made but that's not the point. It may take him years to learn the control to do what I showed him flying the Rose the other night."

"What did you show him Gertz?" Cait asked her in her soft voice using the pet name she'd had for the younger woman since she came to the order.

"Oh well I just took him up in the Rose because he kept trying to escape the base and flew with my eyes closed. Heh, right past another ship actually. Landed that way too." Gert grinned at the memory. She'd been trained to fly by some of the greatest pilots to ever serve in the New Republic. She'd had a bit of a psychological block about landing for a while but on one of Pap's mental visits he'd done something to that barrier. In doing so it had opened other areas to her mind. She could feel him even now, she was always just a little on his mind just as he was always just a little on hers.

Luke started to laugh. He could very well imagine the young man's reaction to Gert's piloting skills in general let alone with her eyes closed and probably grinning ear to ear. Gert was an exceptionally accomplished pilot and had a warped sense of humor. She'd been known to buzz other ships just for the kick of doing so and he had not seen anything she couldn't fly. "I imagine that was quite a lesson in trusting the Force Gert, and of Force use and mechanical things. Even if your 'arm' was the Rose. I still think he can learn on his own if he has the dedication to do so however, and I'm not comfortable with the idea of a 'donor body', brainless or not. Life is sacred Gert."

Gert frowned, it was not the response she had hoped for nor actually expected. Usually Luke went along with her ideas. Knowing he was against that one made her pause and consider the likelihood of it passing Council. Granted she could just pay for it and do it and not actually get into trouble but given the current situation, she was hesitant to follow her own judgment on this without fear of repercussions. Lacking a clear green light, she didn't want to force the issue and deal with more of the continuing reprisals she currently faced. It was no longer a matter of just herself any more, she had a husband and daughter to consider. This affected them as well. She was going to have to consider others. Otherwise she was going to hurt them however unintentionally. Dawn's big mistake had not been trying to get Gran and Gert to fight or even in forcing Gert away, it had been in causing the sort of fight that tore Pap in half. No one hurt her old Mule. No one used her to hurt him either. Gert could handle being backed all the way down on any issue she didn't have emphatic beliefs about and certainly when it came to a personal attack but hurting the man she loved was a good way to incur her wrath. Gert was gentle and kind hearted as her husband and brother-in-law believed, up to a point. That point was hurting someone besides her. If she faced repercussions Gran and Pap would stand behind her, but she wasn't pleased at her costing anyone else anything she should be paying for. The cycle of blame going on in the Order needed to stop. Gert was pretty sure she knew what the price was but she wasn't about to let anyone else pay for her. Not this time.

"I want him to be able to Luke, I really do, but his youth and inexperience work against him. I worry that out of frustration he will give up on this."

"Gert, if the challenge of focusing the Force is enough to cause Zeke to give up, then he is not ready to be a Jedi. He will face much greater obstacles than that later. Many of which require a certain never say never attitude you yourself have perfected."

Gert looked abashed and Caitlin laughed. "He's right Gertz, many of us go by whether Gertz has given up yet or not, if she has not, there must still be some hope." She laughed again as Gert looked down and blushed slightly. The raunchiest jokes never fazed her small, fierce, healer-in-arms but sincere complements invariably sent the woman into a cycle of embarrassment. While it was true some in the Order looked unkindly on her, many of the Order respected and even admired and looked up to her, well, metaphorically speaking, no one over twelve but Master Stitch looked up to the small dark haired woman physically. There was a lot of Jedi in that small package however and Cait was very glad to have her on her staff. She always seemed to show up at just the right time as well, as if she was always open to the shifting tides of the Force. In a way she was right. Most of the time Gert got a com to come to the infirmary if something had happened. Some of the Jedi would accept healing from another but their preference was on the Corellian with intense grey eyes and a somewhat naughty smile even when she wasn't up to no good. It was those eyes that people trusted, they were guarded but honest.

"Yah, well, I guess we will have to put this past the Council then as we have one for and one against. Sort of. And yes, I know the easy way is always a trap, which one of you came up with that anyways?" Gert referred to the Rogue Squadron's often preached mantra about trusting the short cut.

"Probably Tycho, sounds like something paranoid he'd say." It was an unspoken agreement that she and Luke would avoid certain topics when it came to the Rogues. After the last aborted fling with Wes Gert had distanced herself from them to avoid the very real issue of the squad choosing up sides. He wasn't very popular at the moment as things stood. Gert didn't want to make it worse. Luke had been sorry things didn't work out and yet glad too because he knew his brother-in-law was desperately in love with the woman long before things started to sour in her previous relationship. Wes seemed to think Gert would wait around until he was good and ready to be a grown up. She'd fallen in love with and married someone else instead. Good friend or not Luke felt Gert had deserved better for some time. He was elated she'd found better in Pappy, even if they couldn't really tell anyone yet. They would have to within the next few weeks Luke conjectured. Sooner or later someone outside the immediate family was going to notice Gert was pregnant. Very interesting questions would soon follow. Luke could easily imagine her surrounded by several small red haired children of various ages, probably in a kitchen baking something. He knew she'd never believe it but Gert would make a good parent. With children she was gentle, kind, patient and firm, it was only adults she was sarcastic and sometimes rude with. Even if she kept the identity of her child's father to herself the highly likely red hair was going to be a dead give away. It was just as well they were already married, Pap would have insisted once he found out.

Luke watched Gert look around the Council chamber and wondered who she sought and smiled when he realized it was his wife. Gert and Red could not be less alike and yet the two women had hit it off almost instantly. Mara deeply enjoyed Gert's dry sarcasm and occasional doofyness and Gert greatly enjoyed Mara's calm honesty and openness. The only problem the two ever had working together was Gert's habit of playing her cards too close to her chest and his wife's habit of not asking unnecessary questions. Once in a while it was very necessary to ask Gert direct questions. How much she hedged was an excellent way to gage how much she was up to. Gert wasn't just an angler, she was a pro at keeping her thoughts to herself while seeming to prattle out her entire life.

Gert excused herself from Luke and Cait and headed for Mara, weaving in and out of the various Jedi Masters discussing the Council meeting. The person she actually wished she could talk to was Quin Vos. He'd left for the Kiffar system and no one really expected him back except for the occasional senate meeting. He'd sometimes bullied her over the years but she missed his booming voice and unabashed support. Mara was talking to her daughter-in-law, Liana of all people. Well, this will be nicely awkward. "Mara, Lia."

"Are you feeling better Gert?"

"Su'cuy Gert."

"Yah, so far Lia, and yes Mara, some, sorry to worry you. Um, can I speak to you privately a moment?" She had not quite met Liana's eyes in the exchange.

"Of course Gert, I always have time for you. Liana, if you will excuse us a moment" Mara led them to a quiet corner of the Council chamber. "What's bothering you Gert? You've seemed very troubled the last couple days."

"I am Mara." Gert's voice was low. "I received a transmission a couple days ago that might be nothing or it may be a very big problem." Gert wasn't sure how to word what she wanted to say. Mara didn't know she was working with Luke to unravel Davva's current plot to undermine the order. So far they had the former Jedi on espionage and Gert was getting niggling sense that there was more going on then she or Luke had first suspected. Gert excelled at finding patterns in things and the one that was emerging stank of Davva and Zannah both. Gert and Gran had no proof Dawn had been working for Zannah but both had seen the other woman at work enough times to have no question who Dawn's real boss had been. Gert worried about her padawan Jaino as well. She knew he wasn't involved but he was naive and trusting and friends with Lann who had kept company with the Sith Lord Erveso, formerly Jedi Master Davva in the past. Gert and Luke had taken to feeding Jaino and Euso bits of information, always different bits, none of them entirely the truth but none of them quite lies either, just creative interpretation of the situation to see what garbage would spew back out Davva's shiny dome. So far their assessment had been correct, Unable to resist the inside information he was being spoon fed Davva had consistently run his mouth specifically about the things Gert and Luke were feeding him.

"It's not like you to hesitate to talk to me about something Gert, now you have me worried." Mara meant that, Gert had always been open and honest with her, had she been so inclined, she probably could have gotten her sister-in-law to admit to her feelings for her brother. She'd opted to let them figure things out on their own even when she'd wanted to slap them both silly for being thick headed and foolish. Gert however, had been very shy with Mara for some time, and if Mara were honest with herself, it had started when Gert had offered to step down from the Council to atone for her recent errors and Mara had emphatically asked her not to and then turned around and dismissed the entire Council shortly thereafter. Knowing Gert, she probably felt like she'd cost people their jobs and in a way she had, but not the way Gert suspected. Mara had been about ready to do so anyways. It was their handling of her sister-in-law that had been the final reason though not what prompted her to plan on doing so, It would have happened anyway. Mara had been very distressed to see people she thought she knew speak encouragement to Gert's face and then turn around and criticize her behind her back.

"Yah, well, I don't think you are going to like this much. I received an audio copy of a transcript of a meeting… a meeting where several people spoke as Council members… and well, I think you had better listen to it yourself. Will you meet me tomorrow morning in Pap's office?" Gert's brows were drawn together and her lips were pulled down into a worried frown.

This alone was enough to make Mara worry. Gert usually wore a mask of indifference or humor, for her worry to show through so clearly it must be something big. "All right, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, and Mara? Please say nothing of this, it may just be nothing and I'm over reacting."

"All right, I'll keep that in mind." She put a comforting hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. Mara had first liked Gert because Luke and Leia did, then liked her for herself. Gert was more honest than some were giving her credit for. Not trusting people in general wasn't dishonesty, it was the behavior of someone who had to survive far too long on their own. It was a level Mara herself could easily relate to. It was the reason she was letting Gert back off a little in their friendship. She understood Gert's worry that she was taking advantage. She wouldn't let the other woman back down for very long but she would give her time to find her footing again before she pressed the issue.

Gert nodded slowly, her expression closed again. She moved away without another word and let herself fade into the background of the Council chamber and left when she was no longer being paid attention to. It was a trick she had learned when she was young and did not require Force ability at all, just patience and good observation skills.

Revan met her outside. "How did it go?"

She looked at her young student. The man that was completely in love with her sister. He'd told Pap the day after their wedding that he wanted to be just like him. Gert had almost swallowed her tongue trying not to laugh. Like Pap, he was now commanding a fleet, the youngest commander in the history of the Order. He was in training to become a Shadow, and he was dating one of the Yonsz women. Frankly he couldn't have followed a path closer to the older man's had he been old enough to fight in the Rebellion. Rev, however, didn't have a reputation for womanizing. He did have an overwhelming dedication to his former Master. Like Gert he'd barely made knight when he'd been assigned to a different master that he'd actually learn something from, namely don't blow up people's offices just because they annoy you. His master had been as hopelessly foolish as Gert's has been. There was some justice in the fact then, that the office he'd blown up had been her former master's. She wondered when he finally took a padawan, would that student then in turn return the favor and also find themselves in hot water and who would teach them then. Gert was putting odds on a Kenobi. "Could have been worse. Euso never showed up."

"He's probably busy keeping Davva's shebs clean."

"REV!" Gert laughed. Her student had been as good for her as Pap had. Especially when her mission to save Moiti was a total failure. She was going to have to explain to Prime especially why the boy was alive again. She had figured out how Zannah had done it and deeply disapproved. The boy was now so deeply touched by the dark side that it might affect his path for the rest of his days. He'd never been very in control of himself to begin with. There was pranking people the way the Yonsz girls and Rev often did and then there was just not caring about the consequences of your actions. Moiti didn't care. When he did it was only for the moment that you reprimanded him for his actions and then it was gone.

"Well he probably is. Did you tell Master Mara about the transcript?" Rev looked hopeful and worried at the same time. Like Pap and Luke, he wore his heart on his sleeve. The nice thing about all three men is they knew she loved them back just as deeply and didn't push the issue about her not being excessively demonstrative towards them though they were towards her. She was when they truly needed her to though. She'd held each of them like broken hearted children at one time or another and let them pour their heart out. This was one of the main reasons Rev loved his Master more as a mother than as a sister. She was indestructible in his eyes.

"Yah, I don't think she's really going to like what she hears. This is pretty high up, as high up as you can get frankly. I can't even look at Liana or Angie right now. I'm heart sick at the things they both said."

Revan made a disgusted face at the mention of his former Master. By turning over the transcript to Gert he knew he was selling her out. He knew where his loyalties were. Squarely with the little Den Mother. "I'm just worried about Gran and Ithi coming under fire for it. How are they going to know who is merely going along with what's said and who is speaking their true thoughts."

"I can answer that question. Gran's loyalty is to Luke. Period. Ithi not so much but her loyalty is to the Order and regardless of any mistakes he's made, Luke is a good leader. I believe she would side with Pap in either case and I know where his loyalties are beyond question."

"When are you two getting married?" His voice was sullen, frustrated as they walked across the temple grounds.

"Who?"

"You and Pappy Gert. He's in love with you, your in love with him. What's the problem?"

"I don't know what you mean Rev. Pap and I broke up, the Order needs us to be focused. We don't have time to be a couple and that's not fair to him. You know what I'm doing. Euso won't trust me if I'm with Pap."

"You're full of poodoo Master." His voice held a disappointed note. Anyone watching them could see how perfect they were for each other, how right. Master Pappy loved his little Master so much he'd faked his own death to try to save her life. If they didn't get back together soon Rev was going to take drastic measures and lock them in a room surrounded by yilsamari so they couldn't use the Force to pick the locks until they made up and got back together. He'd seen the look in his Master's eyes when she'd seen her love after he'd been missing so long. More he'd felt the heart breaking love she felt for him, lacking normal vision he saw through the Force, her feelings had poured off of her like a torrential water fall. It was the matured and full blown version of what he felt for his Master's sister.

"I'm not. Pap and I agreed we aren't dating some time ago. It's not what's needed from us right now and what _is_ needed takes precedence over what either of us might want or not want." She could all but hear Luke's voice in her head telling her there were ways to not tell the truth and still not lie. A certain point of view his Master had told him, a Kenobi himself. Gert had always had an easier time keeping outright lies straight over half truths but wasn't going to argue logististics with her brother-in-law. Gert wasn't in the habit of lying anyways. She simply withheld information making people think she'd been dishonest when actually she'd simply thought it none of their business. She'd submitted a full report on what had happened to Moiti to the Shadows. If Jacan wanted the entire Order to see the details he'd release the report. He had not. The only thing Gert had really left out was it had been Pap's decision to take Moiti that night and not wait until she was ready tactically. The mistake had been fatal. Gert had been immediately branded. She refused to disclose who's mistake it had been, therefore protecting the man she loved completely in the one way she could. She'd sacrificed herself to protect him. It was all she could do for him.

Truthfully Gert rather wondered if Jacan Molar was protecting her or Pap or both. Pap had been his padawan, Gert one of his oldest friends in the Order. She knew he'd read between the lines and guessed her actions just as he'd ignored any evidence to the contrary that Pap might have still been alive when she asked him personally to investigate the explosion of the Night Stalker, and find nothing. The Sith had very conveniently trashed Pap's office the day after his ship had blown to pieces. That had been a handy thing and Gert rather suspected Volk had paid them to do it to protect her husband. She'd sat under the onus of being a liar and pled honesty while she lied her head off about the man she loved to protect his life. She wasn't sure if he'd made a huge mistake making sure she'd seen his ship blow up or had been counting on her not feeling his death even as she watched in total horror as the Night Stalker disintegrated before her eyes. She'd spent days sick with fear until he'd brushed her mind ever so gently one night. His deep love for her that she could feel in the Force had reassured her broken heart and kept her plodding forward in spite of her aching heart. She'd thought him completely insane at the time. Sometimes she still did but she wasn't one to talk considering what she'd sacrificed to protect him herself.

He'd spent the next month every now and again gently invading her consciousness, sometimes more so than others, left her small reminders of his love like mysterious lavender roses in her office though the security tapes showed nothing. He was a good slicer, he had helped design the temple security, she would have known it was him without any other contact.

If she'd had any doubt it was him the through job he'd done slicing into security removed it. He was very good at his job as a Shadow. She was no slouch herself, she'd once sliced into his bunker when he'd gone a bit spastic because he'd tapped the Force completely for the first time. Something she'd taken for granted for years as a healer. An exceptional healer had to be able to do that, had to be able to ride the swirl of energy that was the living Force and recognize the value of the cycle of life and death for what it was. Being a bit of a gear head, she was a good mechanic, her natural empathy however, had made her an incredibly skilled healer. She'd exhausted herself the night she'd healed Moiti of the wounds she'd traded for his life and still healed twice the amount of damage of any of the healers that night. He on the other hand, hade never experienced anything like it, had been overwhelmed and tried to flee her and Gran that night. Gert had refused to allow him to. She supposed it might be one of the reasons why he'd never really given up on her. She never had on him even when she'd wanted to throttle him a lot of the time.

Luke had been un-phased when Gert had known things only Pap should have known, suddenly had clearance to get the blast doors open on the bunker hidden deep below BUDs that was designed to withstand anything short of a death star blast, had known there was a ship waiting in dry dock, a replacement for the Night Stalker which she'd christened the Eternity Rose. Her promise to him that she'd always wait for him. He'd meant the ship to be a wedding present when he'd ordered it. He delighted very much in buying her things she'd never spend money on thinking them superfluous and yet would take delight in seeing or using. She was terrible to buy for, she desired nothing. Owned nothing but her robes and some embroidery supplies. Her life would fit into a cargo crate if it had to. She'd learned during the Rebellion to travel light. Her habits had changed little since that time.

"All right Master, I won't argue with you about it, but you are right for each other and Master Pappy-Wan loves you more than he loves anyone else and always has."

Gert smiled in the darkness of the shadow of BUDs. "I'll take it under advisement Rev, and thank you. You've made me very proud of you as my student, and that's the greatest complement a student can give their Master, to be a credit to them." She hugged him, a rarity for her. "I need to get some rest though, I'm wiped."

Rev nodded silently in the night air. "Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks hon, I'm hoping this will all be settled and I can get back to shadowing the Shadow." She turned and walked through the entrance to BUDs, checked the board and realized she was the last one in for the night and closed the blast door. The students had been moved up to Sanctuary base but many of the staff and some of the padawans that had not been assigned masters were still staying at BUDs.

She stripped off her robe as she walked through the door to Pap's office and her tunic soon followed. Exhausted she fell into Pap's old bed and fell into a deep sleep. She never even noticed her husband come in and join her, even when he wrapped himself protectively around her and held her close.


	3. Common Ground

When Gert woke the next morning he was still their, holding her against him

When Gert woke the next morning he was still their, holding her against him. She felt warm, safe, and loved, and then mild panic. He was awake and had his face buried in her hair as though he was memorizing her scent. In a way he was. He'd almost lost her and savored every moment he had with her, held her every time they were alone so he'd know they were ok, that she was ok. That she knew he needed her more than anyone else. "You worry too much old Mule." She said softly against his neck, sensing his train of thought. "You're cutting this awfully close, Mara will be here soon."

"Hmmm…" he said against her hair as his fingers explored her soft warm skin now that she was awake. He loved how she felt against him, loved how even though she worried about being caught in bed with the husband she wasn't dating any more, she'd molded herself closer to him when she'd woke, loved the small responses her body made as his fingers explored her, loved how her hands kneaded his back in unspoken desire. Had she not told him Mara would be coming by this morning he'd have gotten up, locked the door and slowly made love to her until she was an exhausted puddle on the bed. He considered doing so anyways when his ministrations elicited a small moan of answering need from her but moved away and stood instead. He would make it up to them both later that night. He'd have to, he was going to spend the rest of the day uncomfortable as it was.

He'd dreamed of her every night after leaving for his mission. Had held her, made love to her so many times in his dreams that he'd woken every time heart broken that it had only been a dream again, that his arms were empty of the woman he couldn't stop thinking about. He'd never needed anyone so much in his life. When she'd held up her left hand while in holo conference with him and traded her freedom for his heart he wanted to jump through the screen and kiss the hell out of her. For that moment he couldn't care less that she still couldn't say she loved him, didn't care that it was a bribe, all that he'd cared about was the woman he loved wanted him by her side for any reason at all. He'd have willingly sold his dignity at that moment for those words.

When they had taken their vows a couple days later and she'd told him how deeply and completely she loved him and why he felt like he could fly without the benefit of ship or wings. He'd hoped she at least loved him some small amount and it would grow not realizing what she had held back had been like a full blown Eternity rose, so seemingly common on the surface but true blue inside. It had shaken him to the core, humbled him. No one had ever given him so much faith and he intended to spend the rest of their life together being worthy of her heart.

But first they had to catch a criminal. He bent and picked up her tunic from off the floor. She alternated from being a very tidy person when she had the time to be and a somewhat lazy sloppy one when she was busy or too tired to care. He liked to think he was wearing her out to explain her recent exhaustion but worried it had to do more with her not sleeping the whole time he had been gone.

He'd not intended to contact her while he was gone thinking it would only be that much harder for her if she knew he was alive only to lose him a second time. He'd taken a holo of her those last moments and barely needed to look at it, her eyes were branded on his soul. He'd only meant to check on her, had intended to simply test his abilities as a doppelganger when he'd found her sitting in his garden in the middle of the night, staring off into nothing with such a look of devastation on her face he'd been unable to stop himself from trying to comfort her. He'd only meant to ease her heartache at first, when he'd touched her and felt how deep her pain was he'd reacted on instinct and let her feel his presence because his heartache had been just as deep. Had he been there physically he'd have held her and cried bitter tears for having caused her so much pain even if his intent was to keep her alive. At first she'd been more devastated to feel him near until he'd finally told her point blank he wasn't leaving her. They had met many times in the garden after that, knowing they could find each other there among his beloved roses. She had been right though about knowing her, he'd have been able to find her if she'd gone to the other side of the galaxy, all he had to do was follow his own heart back to her. She held it as safely and gently as she did any of her small students at BUDs.

Over the next few days she'd explained what she was up to, being friendly with Euso hoping he'd open up to her, tell her what was going on or prove his innocence. He'd cautioned her to be careful about how she did things. When she'd wondered at why he had an issue with her being more friendly with the other man the first thing that had popped into his head was to tell her because you're mine. He'd expected her to berate him and had been surprised when she'd not. He'd been floored a few days later when she'd said the same thing back.

He smiled now each time she said he made her feel safe, knowing she didn't fully realize yet she made him feel the same way. She had his back no matter what trouble they got into together or separately, they knew each other's weak spots even when that weak spot was each other and balanced their skills accordingly. They were quickly becoming a devastating team. He was starting to feel sorry for anyone that crossed his wife frankly. Between Luke's loyalty to their long standing friendship and his total dedication to her she had brute strength and authority backing up her incredibly clever mind and a big enough heart to stay his hand when he didn't stop and think.

"All right little Goat, I'll go hang out in the bunker while my sister is here. I know she'd not say anything but I also know you want as few people knowing as possible." His wife had taken his daughter aside shortly after he'd done his disappearing act and told her point blank to ignore how things looked with her actions with Euso, that she loved him completely and his disappearance didn't change that. Grainne had filled him in the first moment they had alone not realizing what Gert had already promised to do. She'd had this funny idea that her dad really needed to know it didn't matter to Gert if he was still alive to benefit from it, she'd continue loving only him. He handed her tunic to her and bent to give her a lingering kiss that left him even more frustrated than before.

Definitely going to have to finish that later tonight he thought shaking his head as he pulled on his shorts, pants and tunic forgetting his tabard on the floor in the corner in his haste to get out of her way.

Gert got up, her heart still fluttering in her chest, the taste of his warm lips still on her mouth. That would look just great having Mara walk in on them all over each other, in bed. No Mara, we aren't dating, we just like to play tonsil hockey in the bedroom adjacent to his office is all. You know, in the bed, lying down, without our cloths getting in the way. You know how binding Jedi robes can be. She'd have laughed at herself but the mental image wasn't helping her calm down any so she dressed quickly and sat at his desk fiddling with a data pad to wait for her sister-in-law. His office smelled comfortingly of his soap, old books and office equipment and dust. He tended to keep equipment until it wore out, replacing components rather than investing in new units. She'd come there from time to time while he was gone to feel closer to him and still be away from prying eyes. Admittedly she'd become a hermit with the exception of when she and Li had gone into the meditation garden to talk about the direction the other woman was going in and been ambushed by her soon to be brother-in-law about the future of the Order now that Council had broken. For some reason if she and Luke sat down together people just started showing up. It had become a town hall meeting with everyone expressing their feelings and a lot of cobwebs swept from corners. Gert had walked away that night with a strong sense that though the Order had it's problems, none of them were insurmountable.

Mara knocked softly then opened the office door. "You wanted to talk to me Gert?"

Gert motioned her to an ancient chair across from her. "I think you need to hear this Mara." Gert groaned inwardly as a sick feeling filled her stomach and she clicked on an audio file on her data pad. "Someone I trust transmitted this to me while it was happening. It's a third connection relay though so there are a couple spots it's hard to hear." Gert left out the part about no sooner had she finished recording it as she got a data stream from Luke with the exact same recording. She knew who her mole was, she wondered which of those clandestine participants was also double dealing.

The order had it's detractors and it's detractor's detractors. In a warped way, it made Gert laugh. As quickly as dissention could erupt the dissenters were being tagged, watched and put down. It was driving she and Luke crazy doing so but they were ferreting out issues so fast they could barely keep up. Gert had not realized how much of the burden of holding the order together Pappy took on until she shouldered his portion as well. Gert had been overwhelmed at first but Luke had refused to give her any slack fearing in her depression she'd fold in on herself. Overwork kept her up and running instead of her shutting down emotionally. He hadn't liked leaving her raw like that but knew if he didn't she might just clam the rest of the way up. She came remarkably close a couple of times and sensing it he'd deliberately upped her work load. She understood why he'd done it even though it had annoyed her at the time.

Gert hit the play icon on her data pad.

"Hello folks" Obi-Mon's voice could be clearly heard. Several people answered him, one with the familiar Su'cuy An!, leaving no doubt who one of the muffled voices was. "I have spoken with all of you and we all feel the same way..." He pauses, "the Council has disappeared and we all are trying keep this Order for the most part about being Jedi and not making it personal. Am I right?"

"The Council has been left out" Liana says after several interruptions and agreements to his comments. Mara frowned at the sound of her daughter-in-law's voice but says nothing.

Angie cuts in "The council has been left out how? I talked to Luke yesterday about the issues with the Order?" Her voice was concerned but Gert knew what was coming and didn't buy it. Not after some of the things she'd done in the recent past. The next few days would snowball from this event and force Gert to make an apology she didn't feel to someone that really didn't deserve it considering how two faced her actions were.

"We are not a part of any of the current decisions being made" Liana said.

"Then what does that mean to us, liana?" Angie still sounded confused.

"Liana why is the council being left out of the loop if you don't mind me asking" Grainne cut in, sounding as confused as Angie did. Gert winced and looked away from Mara, realizing how it sounded, her daughter being there at all let alone joining in although she realized Mara probably would start feeling the same way about Liana the more she heard.

Obi-Mon finally spoke again, "Is it me or is Luke and Dodge making unilateral decisions?" Liana agreed with Obi-Mon's assessment and followed up by telling Gran she didn't know.

"All I know is things needs to change somehow." Gert was pretty sure that was Lioness. The voice was muffled as though she was sitting too far away from her student's informant to be easily heard.

"Liana, how much pull do you and Ithil have with the council members?" Obi-Mon asked.

"I have talked to Jacen he is not happy the ways things are going either." Said the voice that might be Lioness. Gert had to smile inwardly, he certainly did not, but not the way this group wanted to believe.

"We have big mouths, but are not listened to. Pappy has left the Order." Liana said. Gert arched a brow at Mara who gave her a dour smile back. Liana was vastly misinformed it seemed.

"What of the council members how many of them respect your voice Liana?"

Gert was almost amused at his beating around the bush, he was building them up, inciting their frustration before he presented his idea. It would have been a good one implemented against less experienced Jedi, Gert and Luke had seen right through it for what it was, a tactical device. Pappy had later agreed when he heard the transcript.

"In other words those squeaky wheels are not getting the oil Liana." Grainne's voice was frustrated.

"Nope Grainne" Liana said simply, dropping her usual formality for her old friend and cousin.

"I am this close to leaving." Grainne said, though Gert wasn't sure if she meant the meeting or the order. Gert suspected she meant it to sound like one but meant the other.

Several of them agreed with and commented on her statement, the voices were jumbled together and muffled.

"Ok, we have Liana, Ben, Ithil, Jacen and who else on the council has spoken up?" Obi-Mon asked.

"Seiga." Liana replied.

"So five out of the seven... Where does Euso and the other one stand?" Obi-Mon asked her.

"In fact, Luke told Seiga if he didn't like things he could leave." Liana sounded disgusted.

"I am about to leave myself" Angie said in a huff.

"Can you all not fire the two?" The muffled voice asked. "Have a meeting and vote on kicking them off the council."

"I have a couple of ideas." Obi-Mon said darkly, using the first voice of dissent to work his way into his real plan.

"Luke treated me like a Child when I wanted to go into Sappy's last night Ask Obi-Mon I showed him the security holo." Grainne said in a pissy voice. Leaving out Luke's concern for her unborn children of the comment.

"She's right." Obi-Mon said soothingly.

"I believe it Grainne. He treats all like children." Liana said lacking her usual public fondness for her father-in-law. "And then he comes to me for help on strategy" She says as if doing so is akin to helping knock over a liquor store.

"Luke told me yesterday he has been telling the Senate about the problems but no one is helping." Angie said with a whine.

"The problem _is_ Luke." Liana said disgusted. These were the words that last night had gotten Gert's mental wheels turning because it sounded so much like someone else that always blamed Luke for everything. Gert was starting to suspect someone was being manipulated. Liana didn't want to believe Zannah had ulterior motives for going to the light side but Gert knew she did and her suspicions were confirmed when she had used dark side power to bring Moiti back to life. It was probably a lot of the reason Luke had been weary of Gert having a clone made of Zeke. It was too close to what had been done to Moiti.

"Where is Mara then?" Angie asked.

"That's a good question." Liana answered her.

"Well I think a lot of what's going on is because Luke is trying to speak for all and Mara has had communication issues while on her mission, I guess." Obi-Mon replied to them both.

They bickered a bit about the reasons for this and why both of them were so difficult to contact without touching on the possibility that the war had Luke completely occupied and Mara's com silence was due to genuine problems.

Obi-Mon's voice finally raised above the chorus of voices. "well, I have some ideas to take care of this... this is _our_ Order... _not_ his." Gert almost had to chuckle, Luke had said almost the same thing, that this Order belonged to _everyone_ and not _just_ to the Council members. The random comments started up again until Angie suggested starting a new High Council. Gert rolled her eyes. There was being idealistic like Liana was and then there was just easily manipulated as Angie was turning out to be. Gert had given her much credit for being bright. That assessment had down graded considerably in the past few days. They bickered back and forth about having tried it but the problem was Luke still being second in command because they listened to him, completely ignoring the fact that it had been Mara who had broken Council with a unanimous vote to step down from it's members and had hand picked each of them. Gert looked up to see Mara's eyes flash at some of the comments being made about her husband. Gert couldn't really blame her, if someone had accused Pap of doing his job badly likely she'd have their throat.

"Mara was going to step down and appoint Luke Grand Master, the Council overrode it." Liana said.

"I was not, we talked about the possibility of it because I was spending too much time away on missions and I thought it might be best as Luke is home more than I am." Mara said, her tone insulted.

"I know that Mara, no one with any sense is blaming you for this." Gert said, her grey eyes honest and understanding.

"And now's he's pissed, this is making sense now!" Obi-Mon's voice overrode the grumbling again.

"Please Mara is gone, Luke isn't helping. He just lets the crap continue. I feel he is just ignoring the crap" Angie said over the others still speaking. Mara gave Gert the same look Gert had her about misinformed.

"Guys do you all want to get out of the Order? Do you know the history of the Jensaarai we could do something." The muffled voice now left no doubt as to it's owner.

Angie kibitzed about not having to leave and Liana professed to have bent over backwards to make things right though Gert wasn't sure how as she'd rallied the troops herself a few times in the name of solidarity and still was. This to her sounded like more petty dissent than a call to following the Code. A few comments were made about the war when Grainne said "I don't want a war, I don't want to train Padawans to become cannon fodder for what." Her voice was angry.

Several of them agreed to step up and lead though Gert could see by Mara's eyes that they were looking for a volunteer to bell the cat.

"Folks we can take over the Order if we want too!" Obi-Mon said loudly.

"Then lets do this you guys..." Angie bleated. "Why don't we have a talk with Luke and let him see where we stand? I mean all of us, not one by one."

"Today is the future of the order on the plate." Ithi finally spoke loud enough to be herd.

Several of them agreed now was the time to be heard, Obi-Mon and Angie being the most vehement. Ironically she said the Order would fail without unity. Gert swallowed a sarcastic laugh at people planning a coup calling for unity.

"Today the future of me in this Order is on the plate as well." Liana spoke up finally.

"I think we are all contemplating that Liana" Obi-Mon said as the others agreed with her.

"Why put me on a Council and not take my concerns seriously?" Angie whined.

They then all agreed the loved the order and their issue was with Luke specifically. Mara's eyes narrowed at this. Gert knew she recognized the voices she heard, knew trust was being broken and would have felt bad had they not been plotting to overthrow the man who had built the order from the ground up, starting with exactly one Jedi, himself.

"Could he be the mole?" Obi-Mon asked. Gert had smirked when she heard this the first time. Revan had laughed outright.

They then went back to grumbling about their frustration at not being listened to. Lioness expressed her opinion of Luke's getting upset at being called out as a sign of a bad leader. Several commented on feeling like their hands were tied as though they were not just sitting on them. Gert hit the skip button knowing the general grumbling went on for several minuets.

"I think Luke would better serve the Sith, he can sit on his ass over there." Angie said. Mara glared at the data pad as though she'd like to choke the girl. Luke had fallen to the dark side out of idealism once. Leia had brought him back and Angie's comment was in poor taste at best.

"First step needs to be to get rid of Luke, any ideas?" Obi-Mon said. Closer Gert thought, not realizing the young man's actions that night would end up discrediting everything he had tried to build a couple of days ago by having this meeting. Lioness suggested a vote of no confidence again.

"Eversio wants to take over the Order, Ithl." Angie said. And you want to discredit the guy trying to stop him Gert thought.

"The Puppetmaster." Liana said bitterly, not realizing at all yet who was pulling all of their strings.

"A vote of no confidence... Can you get the council to do that Liana and Ithil?" Obi-Mon asked.

"Exactly... what then after the vote?" Angie asked them.

"I dunno... it seems the order isn't really democratic these days" Bet finally spoke, Gert was surprised she'd remained mostly silent the majority of the time, her voice could be herd very clearly as though she was right next to the mic.

They bickered some more and came to an agreement to try to fix the problem. Mara looked at Gert under her lashes as if to say fix _what_ problem? This sort of thing _is_ the problem.

"Luke told me something disturbing" Liana said. A chores of what's followed.

"Who do we nominate for the new leaders" Lioness asked them.

"Someone already on the council." Obi-Mon said as though he already had decided who, which he had.

"Luke asked me if he'd broken the code and then quoted Yoda about being put on the Council not being a promotion followed by stating that when the Council sent a Jedi on a mission, the Jedi spoke for and was a representative of the Jedi Council. The Council was forced to answer for the Jedi's words and answers, and so the Jedi would have been careful not to put the Council in a difficult position, as to do so would be to show terrible disrespect for the Council. When I said that he'd done so recently he told me The council is necessary, but they do not have to be involved in each and every decision that is made. Even when I pointed out that especially the one's that involve the safety of the Order and effect us as a whole he told me the Grand Master is given latitude to speak for the order in times when the Council is not available. It has always been that way. I asked him to point out one time when other Council members had not been around and he said Lighty had come to him personally. I told him that I guess we _all_ can make those decisions and he said Yes, and we must answer for them, whether Code was followed or not, and what the result must be. At that point I told him Well, good... I hope all are prepared to answer then." Liana sounded out of breath as if she'd been reading verbatim off a data card.

Several sounds of disgust were made before Obi-Mon said "he's Sith with those comments. _All_ Jedi consult each other even if its just two or three." Mara snarled and her eyes flashed darkly.

"He doesn't know what he's saying Mara." Gert interjected. "He's never really studied the Sith or had much direct interaction with them. Luke sounded like my dad, old school for sure, but I don't remember anyone ever saying Jedi are not allowed to think for themselves and make necessary decisions on their own until recently.

"I know Gert but it's still in very poor taste and he's the second one to say it, I _know_ my husband. He has _not_ fallen to the dark side and they should be ashamed to be suggesting it." Mara's cheeks were flushed with anger.

They ignored the grumbles of dissent on the recording while they looked at each other in understanding. Gert had known her brother-in-law most of her adult life. It was your reasons for your choices that made you fall to the dark side, not your actions themselves and no one knew this better than Mara and Gert. The participants made noises about how all of them had argued with Luke on the same topic and Gert and Mara continued to look at each other, both knowing none of them had the slightest idea the reason Luke wasn't just caving in to their wishes had been why Gert had not the night before, because it wasn't right. They wanted control back that they had never had in that sense in the first place, Luke wasn't stopping any of them from taking an active role in the order, had actually been begging them to. And yet none of them realized at all who was manipulating them.

"Masters, care to start a petition we all can be the first to sign it and post our thoughts?" Obi-Mon asked.

"But at most we will get signatures from Sith and idiots." Angie said, having backed down slightly.

"No wonder I was duped" Lioness said, referring to Pappy's involvement with her that had turned her back to the light side. His affection had been genuine but it would be a long time before she'd ever believed that.

"I agree sink or swim you guys..." Bet said.

"That was Gert too." Liana said and Mara looked at Gert sharply. Gert returned her look with a tight grin.

"I say _fix_ and _vote_." Obi-Mon shouted.

"Fix the vote!" Angie chimed in loudly and Mara's eyes widened considerably.

The bickering started again for a moment before Obi-Mon asked "do we have the support of the Jensaari?"

"As second in command I give the Jedi full support." Lioness answered.

"Zannah would have no issues either." Liana said. Yah, I bet she'd not Mara murmured.

Grainne exclaimed something about power to the people in the background.

"Great! Then who else can we get. I want this to be a tidal wave!" Obi-Mon sounded suspiciously like a used speeder salesman to Gert. "I know Revan is and he feels the same." Revan had laughed when he heard that part and said something creative about Obi-Mon's powers of perception.

They stated suggesting other names, HiVolt, Ben, Moiti, Mara started memorizing names to ask questions later.

"What about Pappy and Gert?" Obi-Mon finally asked. Gert grinned at Mara at this point, now we are to the good part her expression said.

"Gert is on." Grainne said.

"Stitch too." Angie said.

"I wouldn't tell Gert." Liana said and Angie and Lioness agreed with her. "Or Stitch" she said.

"Why not Stitch?" Angie asked, confused again.

"Ok If you think Pappy and Gert are trustworthy but I would not suggest it" Lioness told them.

"Stitch follows Luke." Ithi reminded them.

"Ooh good to know about Stitch but please not Gert." Angie said.

"Pappy is sick of Luke." Ithi said. Mara raised her eyebrows and Gert rolled her eyes, honest Ithi was either lying or had very much the wrong impression.

"She will try to take it over." Angie said in reference to Gert and Mara chuckled knowing her sister-in-law far too well to ever think that was the truth.

"Pappy is about ready to leave also you all" Grainne said of her father. Gert's grin broadened. They were telling the others what they wanted to hear. Pap had wanted to leave, but because of how the Council was treating his wife not because of Luke.

"Pappy yes, but Gert is an issue." Liana said again and Mara gave Gert an odd look. Gert shrugged.

"I'm worried because we all look at the code, but we see different messages." Ithi said in reference to the comments being made about various Jedi's viewpoints. Xia and G's names had come up and Mara added those to her mental catalog. "Mara and Luke _do_ follow the code, and they want to build a better Order, but the way they do it worries me. We have to stand all together"

"They follow the Code in the open." Liana said in disgust.

"Oh I beg her pardon" Mara said to Gert snidely. "In the open…"

"They are making decisions without consulting." Lioness said

"They aren't building a better order...they are building a dictatorship" Angie said loudly.

"They need to go... any ideas?" Obi-Mon asked.

"Hand them over to the Sith." Angie said snidely, her true nature finally showing through the confusion and aw shucks demeanor. Ithi pointedly told her no.

They discussed their options and then greeted Moiti who came in late.

"You guys should have in mind also who you want to become Grand Master if you succeed." Liana said thoughtfully.

"Someone who is already on the new council" Obi-Mon chimed in.

"It needs to be someone with strong leadership skills for sure... mine would go to Liana" Bet said, echoing Lioness who had just suggested it herself.

"Oh my!" Liana said as the others chimed in agreement. Gert reminded herself Luke owed her 100 credits for calling that one before Moiti had been killed.

"Liana, you have all of our support _and_ you have great relations with those in the galaxy" Obi-Mon said with enthusiasm which was chorused by the others. This was not the impression Gert had but she didn't interrupt.

"Liana, I respect you, but lately you left the SAA to its destiny, I just want to know why. I know you needed some time for you and Ben, but you didn't say anything about it." Ithi asked Liana, her voice concerned.

There is a pause before Liana speaks as though she is thinking about her answer. "The reason for my absence has also been Luke. and my disgust. The conversation I told you about? There have been others, up to and including some personal insults, though not blatant, so, I decided to make my time scarce for a while. As well as him repeatedly hounding me for advice and not listening to reason"

"But you could have told us instructors." Ithi said in exasperation.

"So lets have a vote all in favor of Liana say aye!" Ob-Mon all but shouted and all of them yelled aye back.

"Before deciding a GM, we should look at what we have now. We can't throw them all out of the window at once." Ithi explained. "We should first let them know what the Order thinks." The chorus of agreement changed to a grumble of nos. "You are afraid they silence us?" She asked them. And they agreed this was why. Who will bell the cat Gert asked herself.

"I believe we have people in mind for the High Council before we go in and say anything...you must be prepared to take over at that moment if the current members walk." Angie said over the random comments.

"If they silence us then what, we must have a vote of no confidence let them defend themselves." Lioness said. Mara rolled her eyes again. The traitors call us the problem her body language clearly states.

"We have all but two council members support assuming Liana moves up that leaves 3 spots...the new leadership can hold a vote." Obi-Mon sounded so reasonable and Gert smiled snidely because this was where he'd been headed all along. Put in a puppet Council who can be easily manipulated by clever words. "Most of those on the council is already on board...Liana, Ithil, Ben, Seiga and I'm forgetting one."

"Euso." Ithi said. Gert smiled meanly to herself. Of course Euso wants Luke out. It would make his job easier.

"I think they should have the opportunity to answer to the Order." Liana sounded doubtful as though the change of direction was not what she had been expecting and Ithi agreed with her.

"What I feel we should do is have our high council members chosen and ready to take their role after the vote of no confidence is discussed." Angie said not realizing she was exactly echoing Obi-Mon's earlier words.

"Wait, who is talking to Revan? We have a mole! He's repeating back our words to us over my com!" Obi-Mon sounded panicked. "He's telling me right now what's going on in here and he wasn't invited...I didn't think..." Several of them cautioned him to calm down while they tried to figure out who was feeding him information. Gert knew of course but was not about to say so as she didn't know who had transmitted to Luke though she suspected she knew. They spent several moments trying to determine who before Obi-Mon repeated what his com said. "Let's pretend I don't know that there is a conference going on that has a discussion for removing Luke and replacing him with Liana. Let's just forget about Black Sun resources for the moment. Like I said, I'm not interfering because I've promised to follow a certain person, though I'm also not helping boot them." Sounding horrified Obi-Mon says "somebody that we are talking too is talking to Revan and making him offers." They all agreed it wasn't them. "He's talking to Gert or Pappy." Obi-Mon said almost panicking now.

All of them stated they had not com'ed Gert which was true, none of them had and Gert smirked at this part.

Realizing how it looked Liana said loudly "and I have not asked for leadership." Way to cover your shebs there Lia but it's kind of too late when you sounded pleased as punch that they asked you Gert thought.

They went back to hashing out what to do, none of them covering any new ground and Gert skipped ahead as there were several minuets of this senseless reworking of their opinions which had not changed. The conversation turned to belling the cat again and Angie pointed out she'd left Luke a complaint the other day. Gert remembered it was about the GG which was funny as Luke had been pushing for what Angie wanted until Gert had taken him aside, asked him if he was insane and then bullied him into letting her try to handle the situation before it blew up knowing the Don would not lay a finger on her but might happily take a chunk out of her brother-in-law. Several in the meeting attested to no one speaking up because they were afraid of Luke and Mara snorted in amusement at anyone actually being afraid to talk to her Farmboy. Pappy was the scary one, not Luke.

"I know, Marabeth when she got into trouble after Jeff Hardy, He blamed Mara about where the argument was at." Lioness said. Not true Gert mouthed. No one was to blame for Jeff's behavior but Jeff, Luke had been upset that Mara had not stood up for herself and sent the young man packing.

"I agree Lio... we're taught to respect authority and follow our leaders... we're taught to not question so it makes us scared..." Bet said.

"I understand Marabeth," Angie said referring to the girl's feelings, "After his stunt in the caf, I wanted to let him die."

"That's not very Jedi like of her." Mara murmured.

"Marabeth turned and got angry with Luke about it, but people are like me, I turned around went to his office and apologized for her." Lioness finished. Several of them started debating the finer points when Liana shooshed them.

In a loud clear voice Liana said "We are Jedi, no one is above one another. No one should be afraid to question their leadership. No apologies should be made about how you feel and no one should be made to feel that their voices are not heard. If you are unhappy than _voice_ it. Luke said in his own words... we all must answer to our actions. That includes that _top_." When she finished there was a symphony of agreement. Truthfully Gert couldn't agree more with Lia in point of fact, but there was a correct time and place to do certain things. Leia never admitted to her father or any other Imperial that she was a major leader in the Rebel Alliance. Gert didn't go around telling people she knew who the Order's mole with the Sith was. Having knowledge and an opinion did not give you the right to express it if it put someone else in danger or was not your place to say. She argued frequently with Luke, always had, and usually won, but instead of people seeing that and taking their concerns to her they chose to see her as the enemy because she could bicker with her now brother-in-law and still remain friends.

"I do not plan to stop voicing it but I also will be a part of the solution not the problem" Angie said with enthusiasm, not realizing how ironic her words were. Several murmured agreement

"Ok Ladies and Gentlemen I need to boogie but remember We need to point out the bantha in the living room." Grainne said. Gert grinned at Mara, the girl had started quoting her step mom without realizing it.

Ithi expressed her need to go and then Bet did as well. The rest wished them farewell and went back to trying to figure out who was talking to either Revan or Gert. All again swore they were not though Gert knew one had gotten out of lying by leaving a moment ago.

"I'll invite Augustus if you want proof that's who I am talking to" Angie said sullenly as though they presumed it was her based on her position at BUDs.

"If it gets back it was a conference of disgruntled people." Liana tried to sooth the rest. Like hell Mara said to that, it's treason.

"And as far as anyone knows, Mioti is in his room doin something, and Ezekar is... well I don't know where he is." Moiti said of himself and his cousin.

"Ok so where do we go from here?" Lioness asked.

"We need a course of action and too find the mole." Obi-Mon said worriedly.

"I just got a message from Zannah, she says she'd be extremely uncomfortable supporting them unless they cut ties with the KoT." Lioness said, referring to the sub-chapter of the order that Pappy's family belonged to. Gert was amused, cut out BUDs again Zannah she thought, find a way to tear it down. Being a Kenobi meant being a member of the Knights of Tython for most of them. Most of BUDs was staffed by Gert's new family. Cut ties to the Tythons and you had no BUDs and the order slowly dissolved from within because the younglings were not being properly trained which had been why Dawn had been slowly disbanding the school in the first place.

"Since Mioti's 'problem', I saw how many layers of different truths there were, and trust is still something that we don't have, we can't be sure of the others" Ithi suggested.

"Maybe the mole logged out, or maybe the mole doesn't exist." Moiti said hopefully. Gert had taken the boy aside yesterday and counseled him to trust no one at all at this time because people he thought were his friends were only using him and she and Pap would not be able to protect him this time if he got in the middle of something like this. He'd told her he knew who he could trust and Gert had emphatically expressed that no, he could not. Having heard this conference Gert knew what would happen to those who laid false charges against her brother-in-law. She knew because she would willingly help him bring anyone to justice who committed slander against anyone else in the order. She and Lia had suffered enough and Gert had honestly thought the other woman wouldn't perpetuate the cycle.

"We can shove the orders past down a black hole and move on" Moiti suggested rather sensibly for him. His words would later make Gert laugh when Jacan Molar would post the new Manifesto about letting go of the past and moving on.

They went back to rehashing what to do, that people are afraid of Luke, still not getting anywhere so Gert skipped the player again.

"Or we could send Luke into deep space and kill his engines." Moiti suggested and Mara curled her lip in a snarl.

Everyone ignored his suggestion and they discussed options for a bit before Obi-Mon finally said "I'll start respectively voicing my vote of no confidence then. Respectfully". They agreed.

Moiti asked about the roster having so few Younglings and Angie explained they had all passed and then asked how many padawans he had to train completely forgetting that so long as he was on probation, he was not considered a Knight. "Well maybe we have too many knights doing what they want, I'm not sure if its me, but we have a lot of people that join the Jedi, then turn. then turn back and go back to the Sith." Gert had to agree with his assessment frankly. A month later almost half the participants in the meeting would turn to the dark side, proving out Gert and Luke's theory about idealism and arrogance.

"I do not know if we will have support from Zannah." Lioness said, "she is thinking too much about the war. But you have my support period." She then addressed Moiti's concern about people's indecisiveness. "Mioti I would not have been a flip flopper if it was not for a certain Pappy."

"Right, but that's what I'm saying, maybe these new kids aren't learning that we need Jedi not Jello." Moiti said disgruntled.

"I want to know what our plan of action is and I say we come up with ideas and conference call with them." Angie said as the others bid Obi-Mon goodbye.

Ithi answered her. "We should really start posting in GM and Luke's office, let our voice be heard. you know I did it in the council last time and I'll do it again today. And we need to be effective."

"I have a question about that." Angie interrupted.

"As will I… I am sincerely at my wits end just about." Liana said.

"If we start publicizing our concerns about the Order, won't it give the Sith a leg to stand on to attack?" Angie finally asked.

Ithi and Liana agreed that the Sith were scattered and unable to truly bring their might to arms as several of their order were now dead or missing. Angie expressed her concern that the Sith thought that of them, not realizing the Jedi had better informants than the Sith did. Moiti complained that the GG were a bigger threat and Gert had to smile at his reasons, it was to be expected after all in spite of it having been his own actions that had brought him to the situation he'd found himself in. They told the boy that Luke had made them angry and Mara snorted in amusement, he certainly had, that was why Gert was acting the princess she didn't want to be and smoothing out the hurt feelings before things got worse. Moiti came right out and stated Luke is foolish at times and both women suppressed laughter at Gert's foolish student saying anyone else was.

They went back over the plan, bringing Moiti up to speed and hassled him when he suggested dressing up like Luke and being presented to the Don as they found it unfunny.

"it needs to be public and not hidden" Lioness stated referring to their plan of action.

"Oh, so what you are doing with the GG is bad because it's the GG and it's out in the open but what they are doing is good because it's them and they planed it in secret." Mara said in disgust.

Moiti continued "With the council now, most trust most of the council, people like Ithil and Euso." Which is pretty funny all things considered Gert thought as she believed Davva was setting Euso up.

"Being public may shut up the GG slightly." Liana suggested. Or letting you do your job Mara mouthed to Gert.

"Just got this from Zannah guys." Lioness said. "As far as the Jedi Order is concerned the Jensaarai will support efforts to eliminate corruption in the Order, but will maintain independence. I'm involved with the Galactic War full time, but Lioness still handles peaceful negotiations. She can and will support a new Jedi Order government up to the extent that it does not compromise our existence. We are short on allies as it is. If the Jedi Order will step up for us, then we will do the same."

"In other words, kill our enemies, yourselves and we will kill ours, which is you." Mara said and Gert nodded at her assessment. That was how she took it as well.

Going back to the GG issue Liana spoke again. "If they see enough are annoyed with Luke, they may just concentrate on him."

"That would be good" Moiti agreed.

"They already are more or less." Ithi said.

"They do now." Angie agreed.

"True." Liana agreed.

"Instead of attacking the whole temple." Moiti said in disgust, completely ignoring the fact that his own actions had cause a much bigger problem of the GG harrying Jedi.

"They got that the problem stands with him." Ithi offered.

"We all do." Angie said.

"So fuel the fire." Moiti said. Liana murmured assent.

"I took my first step Yesterday. I am not backing down now." Angie said in reference to the holo news conference she had participated in that had incited Lighty's rage at her, not Luke. Gert had started backing her down herself after listening to this recording the first time. She was not going to let one foolish woman cause a war with a group of criminals that had no ethics. Gert's actions were preventing anyone from getting hurt. She was not above intimidating someone who was trying to get themselves killed or sacrificing someone else to save their own skin. Therein, Gert thought, lay the difference between the dark side and the light, she had tried to save Moiti's life, Angie didn't care of Luke had to die as long as she was safe.

The conversation got off track again when Liana's voice cut back in. "Obi's made his statement" She flips her data pad towards them. It has a copy of the notice Obi-Mon left on Mara's desk that afternoon.

I wish to respectfully yet publically wish to express my discontent with Master Luke Skywalker as your second in command and presumably the next GM. It has become known to many that he wishes to do NJO business on his own and without the council of other fellow masters. I love the NJO and would never betray it but we have someone who is leading the NJO to the dark side. And I for one will not follow his lead and will make it clear for all to know. I also know there are plenty of others who feel the same way. I only hope they have the same courage to stand up and speak out loud what we all know in our hearts to be true. I PROPOSE THAT NEW LEADERSHIP BE APPOINTED!

"That would be interesting to see the whole Order turn. is that possible?" Moiti asked them. "Right now we are just a bunch of people in tunics with different colored swords that happen to be able to levitate stuff."

"He just posted a copy to Luke as well." Liana said.

"So, just to refresh my memory, what's the final decision we have come to?" Moiti asks and the transmission cuts out.

For a very long moment, neither woman speaks. They just stare at each other, understanding in their eyes. Luke is one of Gert's oldest friends, he is Mara's husband. He has made the occasional mistake but what they are plotting is treason, up to and including having him eliminated of necessary. Both women know who most of the people were in that meeting. Council members, family, students, trusted allies. People neither woman would have hesitated to put their life in the hands of and yet there they were, plotting the elimination of a man both loved though in different ways. Gert felt sick and looked it. Mara wondered if she should grab a waste basket for her pregnant sister-in-law.

Gert spoke first. "It would be best if you said nothing of this to anyone Mara. It's being investigated and I already know some things are not as they appear. It's sorting out the rest that is the issue." She sighs." If you still trust me, I'd like to be given the time to get to the bottom of this and possibly stop it. If I can't I may have to give them what they want, but not the way they want it."

"How do you mean Gert?"

"The order has never been a democracy, it's not intended to be. The Council is there to help you not control you or Luke for that matter. I know he didn't follow through on anything he didn't already have the authority to do so. The charges are a red herring. I think the issue with the GG might be as well, Angie seems to have remarkable timing. I need to talk to Lighty about this, I think we are being duped, manipulated. Force us to run in too many directions, distract us, spread ourselves too thin putting out fires and then strike. The mistake being made is they have underestimated their opponent. I'm not a megalomaniac so I rely on my team to be able to work independently. The person I'm up against doesn't understand that, doesn't understand that I trust the people working for me."

"Gert, you mean Erveso don't you?"

Gert nods slowly, not breaking eye contact. "He's been hassling me for years, I started hassling him back so he's trying to take away the one thing he knows matters to me, or thinks he knows. He won't win Mara, it's not the Order that I love, it's the people in it. It's you and Luke and Stitch and my friends and my coworkers, not the buildings, not the rules."

"I understand Gert, and I agree, it's about the people in the order, not about the rules." Mara looked at her sister-in-law and almost asked her why she was investigating and then thought better of it. The less she knew at the moment the better. She'd never been a good liar. She also still completely trusted her sister-in-law. Pap would not have married her if she was not a good person, would not shine brighter in the Force when she was around if she was not the woman Mara believed her to be. Mara would have done as Gert asked had she not asked. She had no intention of not digging for a little bit of information herself but she knew the younger woman could ferret out secrets faster and better than anyone else in the order. "Take the time you need to do this Gert." Mara stood and headed for the door. As she reached it she turned, "And take good care of my brother, he loves you very much." Mara smiled at the abashed look on her sister-in-law's face and walked out the door.


	4. Open Agenda

It was late evening when Gert's com beeped at her. "Yonsz" she more or less growled in to it. Tired and distracted she'd not seen Pappy the rest of the day, had needed to go back up to Sanctuary Base to check on the kids and then back down to Coruscant to the Spire to check holo security tapes on the system she'd hacked in to months ago for a different project to find out what Euso was up to. Why do people always think because you aren't there that you won't find out? It's like they forget I was a reconnaissance specialist in the Rebellion or something. This made Gert laugh inwardly as much like Luke, Han and Pappy, she was a several times decorated veteran. Like Luke and Han however, she seldom made an issue of this. The important part to her was getting the job done right, not getting attention for doing the job. Something she was finding many Jedi concentrated far to deeply on.

"Gert, you need to get to the Holo-News office. We have a problem."

"What problem Revan, I'm kind of busy here…" She was sitting in Pappy's office, slouched behind the desk viewing security holos frame by frame, checking for hand gestures, discreetly passed data chips or anything else she could use in her case.

"Obi-Mon is calling Luke to task publically for doing his job."

"So?" Her tone was discontent. She didn't have time for this crap, she had a grueling diplomacy meeting tomorrow at noon, she'd already been by the Holo-news office once earlier that day, and she missed her husband.

"So turn on your projector and look."

She did so. "STANG!"

"My feelings exactly. Go get em Master. I'd say that qualifies as crossing the line."

"Darned sithy it does Rev, thanks for the heads up." Gert clicked off her com, threw her tabard, obi and robe on over her traditional Corellian style green dress and marched out the door of her office and directly for the Eternity Rose, her much beloved ship, an early wedding gift from her sometimes very practical husband who had the technicians correct the design flaw that had made him able to fake his own death with the Night Stalker. She thought about her earlier transmission on the Holo-News as well as Luke's and wondered If either of them could have said things differently and therefore changed the situations but she was betting Obi-Mon had not seen hers… She'd dropped off the data chip with a recording aimed at a few Jedi in particular.

"A few gentle reminders.

I would like to again remind everyone that Sanctuary base is NOT there for you to entertain yourself. We are there to teach and protect our younglings. We have a cafe and a pub for lighter entertainment. If you see a great deal of activity on the base it is because we are working. Please respect this.

Negotiations for a peaceful end of hostilities with the GG's have gone very well. I would like to thank each of my team members and the council for their support in this effort. I hope in the future this method of resolving issues before they become an all out battle can be put to further use.

That being said, if you are not involved in the negotiations please do not make presumptions regarding their progress. This temple was not built in a day. Nor can accord be reached in a moment. I am well aware of some of the behavior exhibited by that faction. The last time they behaved that way they were asked politely to leave and did so. I know they were not asked fast enough in the opinion some but as Master Slipshade pointed out, a Jedi is patient.

We as an order stand as an example to the community. This does not mean we ignore bad behavior in our home. What it does mean is we do our best to remember we are Jedi and should act as such. Regardless of our personal dislike of someone or a group of some ones we must still act like Jedi.

I will not apologize for reminding any Jedi in this order how to conduct them self. I have worked very hard to help our very qualified leadership to continue to improve the order. I remind MYSELF daily how to conduct myself as a Jedi. I ask nothing more of anyone than to meet the standard I set for myself.

The first Jedi that holds you accountable for your actions should be yourself."

Or Luke's…

"Attention All Jedi

My apologies to all. I have been trying to do the right things. I have not always done it in the best manner possible, but it has always been with the best of intentions.

I ask you for your support for the New Jedi Order.

I ask you for your support of Mara Dodge Skywalker.

I ask you for your support of The Jedi High Council.

And I ask you for your forgiveness."

Luke's especially had upset her. He had nothing to apologize for and even if he had, it would go unheeded. Obi-Mon's public disavowal of him made this very clear. More so after she'd made sure she got her little tirade in right after Master Slipshade's. He'd been lengthy but pointed though even Gert had to admit he could have tightened it up a bit. He'd had just enough sillyness this afternoon to cut in on a holo-trash reality series, "The Real Endor IV", effectively hijacking the transmission.

The transmission snowed out and back in again to the stoic figure of Master Slipshade Spiritstrider standing upon the bridge of his ship, the 'Joker's Revenge'.

"Greetings my Jedi friends and all who see this message who are otherwise. As you know…I tend to be quiet…but my ears are always open, and I must say I am a little distraught at what I am seeing."

Slipshade adjusts his posture appearing almost like a folk hero in old stories.

"I have seen many questions to the Jedi Council, and demands for them to take action, but never do I see what you want to change. Remember, we are Jedi, and never do we finish learning. It is fine to question…almost encouraged…but to point fingers and demand a person or persons step down is wrong. Concerns for the safety of the Jedi Order are well founded, but never should they direct your actions. Just as we must have faith in the Force, we must have faith in those elders who have had much more education in the workings of the Force. Master Luke has shown himself to be an excellent Jedi Master in all regards, and the only problems I see are great misinterpretations of his words."

Slipshade took a seat in his captain's chair.

"In addition, our council and Grand Master have always proved to be excellent leaders and to have our best interests at heart. We are in a time of transition here in the New Jedi Order, and such transitions take time. As a padawan we learn the power of patience, and I implore you to embrace such learning's once more. We Jedi are a body of free thinkers who all have separate means to accomplish goals. Do not buy into the pitiful lies of the Galactic Good-for-nothings, who only want to twist words to make the best profit. Do not be swayed by the Sith, who acknowledge the fact lies are a solid "value" of their order. Do not listen to rumblings of war, or rumors of the fall of the Jedi. Because as along as you have brave and powerful Jedi in the Order…the Jedi will continue to thrive."

"Perhaps instead of blasting such concerns across the Holo channel, you should consult your Master on their thoughts on the matter, and if your concern is not satisfied, then I would approach a council member, of even another Master. Look at the roster…those Jedi will help you. The fastest way to ruin a structure is to rock the foundations. By calling for immediate action in such a public place, you shake that foundation. You shake the Order in which you so desperately wish to protect, and you must stop."

"My friends, it is natural for us to question the force and what it holds for us. It is natural for a Jedi to wonder where he/she is headed. It is natural to worry about an Order in which we all have so much faith. But I implore you…just as you trust in the Force…you must trust in yourself…and the Order. Together…we are strong, but separate we fall. Instead of questioning your council…perhaps it would be a better use of your time to understand the council's actions…and support them."

"It isn't easy to run a group of 175 Jedi, and expect everyone to be happy with the amazing results we have seen so far. And because of that, I expect you to show respect for your council and your order. As Jedi, we must support each other…not tear each other apart. Think about what has been said, and use this time to reflect upon yourself… and the Order. If any of you fine Jedi still are not satisfied, then please speak to me by contacting me on my ship. I respect each and every one of you, and understand your feelings, but know that you have a grand team of Jedi working to move us through this slight adjustment period. By supporting, instead of hindering, you'll make the transition that much faster."

As she set preflight she caught Admiral Durge Crenna's announcements regarding the imminent war with the Sith. His handsome familiar face filled the screen of her shipboard com.

"_To all members of the Navel Defense Force_,

As of right now, all previous orders are now void. As the Commander of all of our military forces, I wish to remind each and every one of you that we are strictly a defense arm of the Jedi Order. We are not aggressors nor an attack force. We are not a galactic police force. We are peace keepers and defenders of peace and justice.

As of now, no one is to act on anyone's orders other than my own. If I personally do not issue the order, then that order shall not stand!! As I said earlier, all previous orders are now void.

New orders are as follows:

1. The fleet is to remain near Coruscant. No special missions without my knowledge and consent.

2. All squadrons are to remain with their assigned posts. No special missions without my knowledge or consent.

3. Do not under any circumstances engage anyone unless they have made themselves to be a valid threat, at this point, notify a commanding officer for instructions. I you feel you are in imminent danger, get the hell of there and call for back-up.

4. Do not shoot to kill, unless it is warranted and you have clear instructions to do so by myself or a commanding officer.

5. We are not bullies. I will not condone nor put up with any bullying. We are above childish games.

6. We are to conduct ourselves as representatives of the Jedi Order. We are to uphold ourselves in the highest regard as well as treat any and everyone (I mean _anyone_ and _everyone_) with dignity and respect. I do not care if they are GSE, GG, GJO, or whatever, treat them as we would anyone else. We treat ourselves and our brethren with dignity and respect and must do so with others.

7. Failure to comply with orders _will_ result in disciplinary action. We are responsible for our own actions and must answer for our actions.

Remember, who we are, not just an order, but as individuals. We are a family. We support each other in trying times. And right now, we are in one of those trying times.

If I'm needed, please contact me by ship to ship or leave a message with the support crew at the military hanger.

Thanks and may the Force be with you all."

Gert shook her head sadly. Durge had a long space lane ahead of him she did not envy. She was more than a bit surprised though when her niece's face popped up right after the military notice. What is this? Hijack the Holo-news day?

Liana stood proudly, her soft white wings folded close against her back.

"Attention All Jedi.

There has been a lot of controversy regarding some actions that took place yesterday. I'm not pointing out any names but will say only this.

This Order does not solely belong to the Council, The Grandmaster or the Masters. This Order belongs to all. No one voice should be unheard. That said... Feel free to contact any of the Council Members... a list will follow shortly...regarding any concerns or suggestions you may have for the Order. Everyone should be treated with equal and proper respect regardless of status in the Order and any who are upset treated fairly regardless of how they feel. Your silence helps no one, certainly not this Order.

Finger pointing and accusations serve no purpose either. If you have an issue than confront that person directly... _This goes to all_... And regardless, _all_ should be given respect for their views, their opinions, and for the way they feel.

On another more personal note:  
I am available to any and _all _who have an issue with me. Some troubling information has come to my attention and I will not air it here. I will say simply this... My door is always open... my office readily checked... and even when I am not on call... I get my messages and will respond. Any who _know_ me will tell you that.

May The Force Be With You All!"

Shaking her head at the words of her niece, Gert took a short planetary hop to the other side of Coruscant and landed at a near by strip at Republic Media Central. As she walked up to the main communications building she ran in to Obi-Mon. Taking him firmly by the arm she wordlessly dragged him back in to the building.

"Hey, Gert, stop it." Obi-Mon was somewhat surprised by the strength of the small Jedi Master and didn't follow entirely willingly but he didn't completely resist either.

"You and I need to talk Obi, publically. Cla'r!" She called out to the receptionist as they entered the large sleek white lobby. "We need a conference room, a holo crew, and a make up artist. I haven't slept in so long I look like an emaciated mynock."

"Can do Gert, how's your brother?"

"Same sheb head he's always been Cla'r."

The older blue haired Falleenissi laughed. Gert's brother the senator of Corellian kept the holo crews entertained with his smooth perfection on camera and his crotchetyness off. She also knew it had to be pretty important for Gert to step into Republic Media and ask for a holo crew. Gert had been avoiding holo crews for a very very long time.

On her hop over, Gert had com'ed Luke and told him what was going on, what she was about to do and asked him if he had any thoughts or objections. He'd seemed almost relieved that for once someone was going to do things out in the open but more importantly, that someone was going to finally openly support his views. His main concern had been that she remain tactful. She'd walked out of the Rose with an open com pinned to her dress that looked like nothing so much as a Nabooian jewel fly so he could hear everything on and off mic and had tucked a small datapad in her robe pocket to tap off quick questions and messages to him. A sensor was tucked discreetly in her ear so he could respond without her checking her datapad. Luke reminded her again to apply her extensive diplomatic skills as much on her fellow Jedi as she would on any opposing organization she's worked with. He knew how badly she wanted to tear the young man apart psychologically. He couldn't even blame her really.

Gert's blood pressure had hit the roof at Ob-Mon's announcement on the Holo-Net. She didn't suppose he'd really thought out how the Order would react to being torn down the middle. Gert and Luke had quietly discussed the ramifications of the coup being successful the night he'd sent her a copy of the clandestine meeting Obi-Mon had held. When Luke expressed his extreme concern she showed him a datapad with her back up plan, a counter coup. He'd seemed unsurprised that she'd thought of this and asked her to find out who would be on board if it came down to implementing what she had in mind. Gert would rather put the Order in the hands of the popular vote, trusting most would sensibly choose trusted reliable hard working Masters over green freshly minted ones. Anything in her thinking, was better than what would happen if Obi-Mon succeeded. The result of which would be a puppet Council run secretly by Davva and Zhanna and an Order they could then easily tear apart piece by piece if they so chose.

Gert knew for a fact that Agustus was Darth Erveso in disguise, that Angie talking to him was as good as talking directly to Pinky. She knew Dawn was working for Zhanna though she couldn't prove that one so anyone trusting her and following her advise was also in grave danger.

Most importantly however, she had a deep seated hunch that Zhanna and Pinky were working together to try to tear the Order apart. They hated each other but that's what sithies do in her opinion. They both hated the Jedi more. That was the important part and politics always made for strange bed fellows. She'd not been able to figure out why so much was going wrong all at once or why it all seemed so interconnected yet didn't have a clear pattern until Gran had said something about Dawn to her the other day. Pappy had asked them what had happened and they had privately told him what they had suspected but not been able to prove outright. Some of the recent events, like the coup plan and inciting the GG into a battle with the Order to distract it's key tacticians from the real issue which was the coup, were just too clever for Pinky to come up with. Zhanna however was extremely clever. Gert knew her patterns too and when she took them into account, many recent events started fitting together seamlessly.

Gert's new goal had much less to do with finding out how her Master's former student was involved and a lot to do with defusing a whining thermal detonator before it blew up an entire Order. She always had worked best under pressure she mused.

As the make up artist was touching up the deep shadows under Gert's eyes a bothan holo-announcer addressed her. "Master Yonsz, we are ready whenever you are."

"Good, thank you. Obi-Mon? Are you ready?"

"I'm not sure what you want but yah, I'm ready to go back on."

"All right, could you please re-run Obi's earlier public address regarding Master Luke?"

"I'd be pleased to. Cue the camera T'Pal." He said to the trandoshan behind the holo camera. When the on air light bleeped he pasted on a convincingly pleasant smile and began to speak, counting up the rating points this debate would win them as he did so. "This is Pesk Joran'tvo and I have Jedi Master Obi-Mon, member of the esteemed Jedi Order with me and Jedi Master Gert Yonsz, daughter of former senator Wil Yonsz and sister of current Corellian senator Darb Yonsz, former Jedi High Council member, senior staff member of BUDs training school for padawans and Jedi Order member. Good evening to both of you." They greeted him politely and Gert bit back an amused smile, Pesk Joran'tvo's name literally translated into Handsome Speaker. Fitting she thought.

"Now as I understand it Master Mon, you recorded an announcement calling for Master Luke Skywalker, decorated war hero and Rebellion leader to step down from his position of second in command of the Jedi Order to his Wife, Mara Jade Skywalker. Is this correct?" Pesk looked disapproving. Bothans usually held war heros and Luke in particular in very high esteem.

Obi-Mon had the sense to look abashed, not correct the incorrect title which lacked his all too common Coruscant surname of Kenobi, or look traumatized by Gert's extensive pedigree and yet still hold the courage of his conviction. "Yes, well I…"

Pesk did not give him time to finish his answer. "Why don't we just re-air that announcement and then you two can discuss the finer points of this topic." He smiled falsely, comfortable in his purple classic styled nerf hide desk chair. The set was made up to look something like a comfortable office one would go to have a casual business discussion. It would have been soothing but Gert's blood was up and Obi-Mon looked nervous and defensive.

The holo-screen behind them lit up and Obi-Mon appeared on it looking confidant and ready to take on an entire Jedi Order if he had to. Gert remained expressionless but thought to herself, not for long kid, not for long. Pesk merely smiled blandly. The taupe furred bothan did not envy the young man. If Master Yonsz was half as skilled at screwing someone to the wall as her father or brother was the boy was in for an unpleasant evening. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of blonde hair and realized who it was. What's _she_ doing here he wondered and his smile broadened. Things were starting to look very interesting. He hoped by breaking her public silence Master Yonsz was also willing to discuss her negotiations with the crime syndicate the Galactic Goodfellows, her impressions of the Skywalkers who lead notably more private lives than the Solos or even the general day to day workings of the Jedi Order that fascinated even those who wished the Jedi extinct.

The image of Obi-Mon above the actual Obi-Mon spoke.

"After much consideration and meditation I feel would be irresponsible of me to not respond to Master Slipshade's remarks. One may cross reference my comments to his last message for a better understanding what I am specifically referring to. But for starters let me say this...

There are many as of late who have spoken down upon me for my vote of no confidence is Master Luke's leadership abilities. I however am standing strong w/ that decision and have not heard anything to change my mind. First I am and will always be true to the order. It is my life and shall never depart from it. However that does not mean that I shall remain quiet and in the shadows when the order that I love is being destroyed from within. If I had not said anything then who would have? Even when I decided to stand up for what I and others saw, there were still many, who did not have the courage to follow my lead unless it was done so in private

I still do not change my opinion. Master Luke is a great Jedi and I will not take that away from him. I do not however believe he is capable of leading the Jedi Council in the direction it needs to go. As for those who believe I am heading down the path to the dark side...I am not. I have done nothing in shadow and have been open and upfront to both Grand Master Dodge and to Master Luke of my intentions. I have not however spoken with nor debated with either of them regarding my beliefs... and I will not either.

Too much debating has gone on and for too long. We need to begin the process of rebuilding and amending the course in which the Jedi Order is headed and we can not do this by constant bickering or drama. I voiced my concerns and they have not changed, but I will not go against what the council decides is necessary for this issue... even if that decision is to do nothing. I can only hope that by standing firm that in time things will change.

I have done all that I can and still follow the code and will display patience till all things are resolved.

And now to respond to Master Slipshade's comments:

It was mentioned that we should not take action in our beliefs and that we can have concerns but not too take action. I 100 disagree with that. If no action then what's the point of having concerns. Only through action can matters of concern be remedied.

Yes the council had changed recently and some new leadership has been established but NOT at the highest levels. Only the council has changed. I applaud that and will follow their leadership but the position that Master Luke has been leading, has not! Sometimes we need to get back to basics. Even if that does mean starting back at the foundations and shaking them. If we are not willing to do that we allow for a road that leads down a path where not all are equal and that some are above reproach.

Finally we have too many spies amongst us. Master Slipshade mentioned that it is tough managing 175 of us. That is all the more reason for Master Luke to step down. We have too many conspirators who are manipulating the Jedi Order and it appears nothing is being done. "

Note the word appears Gert tapped out to Luke. Does he think the Shadows are going to tell a civilian where they are at during their investigation? They call it classified and need to know for a reason Gert. I don't disagree with you he answered back.

The image of Obi-Mon continued. "Finally, I will not have my voice suppressed with threats that we are not allowed to question our leaders! We all are equal and no matter what our responsibilities are we _must_ remember that and always remember that our leaders are only there because we _elect_ them to lead us and we choose to follow. If we have doubts re: our leaders we must have the courage to question them...especially in public when the needs arises!

Umm… Luke, Gert typed, don't you and Mara elect them not the other way around? Yes Luke responded, and always have. This is not a democracy and never was.

Above them, Obi-Mon finished out with "Remember all who read this, my loyalties are with the order and will always be true to it. But never will I ever have my voice be suppressed because of a few who believe I am wrong for questioning our leadership.

May the Force be with ALL of you!

The bothan looked at Gert, gauging her reaction, hoping to get some candid fury out of the woman. He was somewhat disappointed then when Gert looked determined and nothing more. With a tight nod that she understood she had the debate floor she spoke.

"There is a very old story about the mice deciding to bell the cat. The moral is obvious.

All should have a voice and already do. I will now use mine. You speak of spies Obi-Mon but do you know who they are? Denounce them then. Cull the herd. The only change you seem intent upon is to get Master Luke to step down, however, I see no proof that you have a better plan or even any plan." Or how that will actually help things she typed to Luke.

"You say stop bickering and yet was there not a Manifesto covering this? Are you not yourself still bickering?

No one's voice has been taken away. I've yet to see Master Luke choose to not listen to someone who comes to him with genuine concerns. Much as I have said about rumors concerning me. Speak directly to him. That is the respectful thing to do.

I think you would find a very different man than simply a figurehead making decisions.

I personally chose to make things right by standing together with my brothers and presenting a united front. While your bravery is commendable, would you say denouncing someone you don't really know nor understand the responsibility they shoulder is working towards unity?

Where you chose to see the result and argue over it I chose to look at the reasons, ask myself could I have _really_ made a better choice knowing all the facts, and realize that no, I'm not a better judge of what's good for this order.

Obi-Mon, I would like to see some solutions you propose for problems, not just a list of complaints. Anyone can complain. Can you solve a problem? You'll have to show your work on this one or you lose points."

"An interesting point Master Yonsz, do you then have a rebuttal Master Mon?" Pesk Joran'tvo smiled pleasantly, his furry grin broadening slightly when the com in his ear signaled that Master Pappy-Wan Kenobi had entered the premises as well. Well, well, well, he thought, this is becoming a most fascinating day indeed.

Obi-Mon Kenobi sat up straight and with a look of great determination on his face he addressed Gert. "Master Gert I will make this simple and to the point. I have no problems with suggesting solutions to any that will listen but will _not_ waste my breath with those who are not open to them. Especially when I have learned of a coup to rid of all the new council.

Sadly I have no proof of this, but if it's true ideas you wish to have regarding change... I have shared with those that have listened...for example, you can ask Seiga what him and I spoke about just this day.

I do have possible solutions but will not waste my breath if they are going to fall on deaf ears."

Gert had to cover her mouth with her hand to hide the smile as Pappy walked up. "Can anyone join this party?" He asked looking at Pesk Joran'tvo, then Obi-Mon and finally Gert who his eyes lingered on and a soft smile played about his lips for.

"Indeed Master Kenobi, an esteemed Rebellion veteran such as yourself, is always welcome at our station. Please have a seat and offer us your wisdom in this matter." Pesk said with a genuinely happy smile, not because he was glad to see the older man but because he was counting rating points.

Pappy sat with a smile and addressed Obi-Mon. "And because someone does not fall into step with you this is deaf ears...be strong voice your opinions I have had no trouble posting mine and have taken much grief over it. But I also know that at times some things will get handled in private for the sake of the Order...either to protect it or to save it pain. But alas with any changes their will be growing pains."

Eagerly, Obi-Mon sat up. "I do agree Master Pappy, believe me I know that what I say is not easy for any to hear. I will tell you this though: I have been in contact with some on the Council to address my concerns and their concerns with me also. You are right when you say there are growing pains. I just don't believe that silence is in the best interest of the Jedi Order. Once the Council believes that the issues have been addressed and tell me to let things be...I shall."

Gert nodded silently and thought about the transmission she received that she'd shown to Mara the day before. "I too have heard of that coup, and others as well. One of which I have on good authority you were helping sponsor yet again, you have made no attempt to address Master Luke on a personal level with your concerns and as you said, have no intention of doing so. If you do not even try, how is it you know he will not listen to what you have to say?

How do you know you have only deaf ears when you do not explain your words.

There is however a time to speak, and a time to be silent. For everything there is a season. One does not yell in temple nor whisper at a swoop race.

Wisdom is knowing which of these two you are attending.

As for silence... you say it is wrong Obi-Mon... yet you yourself will not express your solutions, only your opinions.

One without the other will indeed fall on deaf ears. Because I cannot evaluate the feasibility of your plan without knowing it." And neither can I Luke told her.

She smiled thoughtfully at the young man, knowing he'd eventually listen to good council given enough time and persuasive argument. She could see in his eyes he desperately wanted to be listened to by someone who held power and he knew Gert had Luke's ear meaning on some small level, she had exactly what he needed, a way in the door.

Obi-Mon sat up again. "I have spoken with others who feel as I do, but have chosen to make my concerns known so that they can be addressed out in the open and not done behind closed doors.

As for a time to speak, I have spoken with some on the council and they have spoken with me. And conversations do continue. When the council feels my concerns are addressed, whether to my liking or not then I will follow their lead. But in the mean time, talks are still open and I will not quiet my voice and the voice of others so certain people can bury this under a rug."

Gert thought about his statement for a moment and wondered how a clandestine meeting behind closed doors to plot the overthrow of the Grand Master and her council was out in the open exactly.

Pesk Joran'tvo cut in at that moment. "Excuse me most esteemed Jedi but I have a transmission to play and then you may have the floor again. It appears we have attracted some attention gentle beings."

Ben Skywalker's familiar face fills the holo-projector behind Obi-Mon Kenobi.

"Everyone has there right to express there opinion about leadership. It is encouraged it makes sure the leadership is doing there job. However it is my belief that this should be done in private. And the council is trying to get into its stride. The Council is also trying to sort out all the problems with the transition but we need time to do it. The whole council is still not elected yet as far as I know there is a further three seats to be filled. So give us a chance to fix the problems."

Obi-Mon listened and then went back to what he was saying as the holo of Ben Skywalker faded out. "As for my idea, I simply and humbly suggest that Luke step down and the council, not those such as myself, but the council vote on who they would have in his place.

The Jedi Order disbanded the old Council in an effort to begin the healing process of the Jedi Order. All I am suggesting is that it goes one step further and a new individual be voted on for Master Luke's position."

Gert had been waiting for him to say this. She even heard Luke chuckle in her ear because she'd mentioned it to him when she heard that recording. "Actually Obi-Mon... the old Council stepped down in a unanimous vote. The Jedi Order did not disband them.

I wonder Obi-Mon, did you listen to what Ben just said? Not just Jedi see what we say. Are you a voice for betterment of our Order? Or are you simply trying to divide us so we can be taken down.

I can say how it appears. I hope I am wrong."

With this, Pappy impatiently interjected, defensive of his old friend and now brother-in-law. "What has Master Luke done to warrant his stepping down...He has not betrayed the order...done anything that would dishonor it...and as one who has walked the thin line of right and wrong I can see nothing that points that he was even as close as I was. I need examples or I will file this as a rabble rousing."

Liana stepped out of the shadows, surprising none. "Is this a closed debate or may I also join?"

"By all means Master Ordo, by all means." Pesk Joran'tvo told her and motioned to an empty chair.

"Thank you Mr. Joran'tvo, This is not a place for discussion. Obi-Mon has spoken his peace. Why are there people in here challenging? This matter is not going to be resolved or discussed on holo. I happen to know Obi-Mon is not trying to divide, but to be heard and he has. So far two Council Members have responded. Everyone head out and have a tihaar on me and chill out. From what I see, what Obi is being accused of is happening to him in return. Let's have a drink and relax."

Gert tilted her head insignificantly. She'd typed a short message to let Luke know Liana was there and he'd waited to hear what she had to say before responding. It's an appropriate forum, all need to know of this, not just those they choose. Proceed he'd told her.

Obi-Mon waved Liana off and responded to Pappy. "Then file this as rabble rousing. For I am only opening the way for those who have direct issues with him to walk through. It appears I have gone out onto a limb and no one to seems to be following so it will have to be dropped. I have no personal proof, just grave concerns and rumors."

Gert smiled a bit, having decided to address Liana for interrupting and then trying to close the debate without finishing it. "I asked him to state his solutions to the problems he sees rather than just stating the problem. As Obi-Mon said. We have a right to be heard.

My concern is Master Luke twice has approached Obi-Mon and left messages for him about this issue and twice has been ignored.

Or, Liana, is his voice more valid than mine?

Obi-Mon has made it quite clear he has no interest in any fact but the ones he presents.

I am merely reporting the rest of the fact.

I think they call that news." She grinned broadly at her niece knowing the younger woman was wedged firmly into a situation she did not care for and feeling little sympathy. A little squirming won't hurt her very much Gert thought and might do her a world or two of good at that. Might remind her just a little bit that still being on the Council doesn't make her better than other Jedi that are not either, I was glad to get off that board of boredom and frustration.

Gert almost groaned inwardly when Pappy spoke though. Sometimes she deeply wished her husband would let her have her own arguments.

"Liana My sweetest Niece Let me assure you that I support freedom of speech...My dear your Father in law's honor is being called into question here. False accusations based on rumor and maybes is what allowed the Sith to control us and through Order 66 All but destroy us...I lived through that so when someone makes claims I want proof or silence. Asking someone to step down based on these maybes and rumors is like saying, Well your a Mando and have no allegiance should we trust you? Of course I do with all my soul but see how maybes and intenders lead to anarchy...I say show me proof or let it lie."

Liana took a deep breath before she spoke, Gert wondered if it was to calm herself or to give her a precious second to collect her thoughts. Luke com'ed in with the fact that she had reason to worry. Gert discreetly typed back that she thought Liana might be the victim of manipulation. Liana finally spoke, calmly, "To address you both. I never said you had no valid voices. I'm asking if this is the appropriate place for this discussion.

I _have_ had the Mando question behind my back Pappy. No one bothered to come to my face or in any outward form. I at least give Obi that kind of credit.

My father in law is second in Command of this Order... I'm sure he can defend himself and would agree the Holo-net is not the proper place to be arguing."

Gert almost chuckled when Luke quipped who did his daughter-in-law think authorized her going to the holo-news center in the first place?

"Master Gert, I have given a simple solution...its rather simple and would allow for an avoidance of any appearance of impropriety" Obi-Mon told her, pretty much ignoring Liana which was both amusing and annoying Luke as he almost wanted the young man to call his daughter-in-law out on her interference after backing down from the nomination when she'd realized what she'd gotten herself into the middle of.

Figuring Obi-Mon was avoiding the issue because she suspected now that she had his attention he actually wanted to hash this issue out, Gert addressed Liana before she got back to her actual debate. "I think he might think it's the perfect place... it is the news, this is a debate. Pap and I seem to be winning. Seems all very pat to me.

We have not asked Obi-Mon to stop speaking, we have in fact, asked him to step up to the plate and put his thoughts out on the table. _All of them_.

After all, you are one of the biggest fans of freedom of speech.

I would hate to find out now that I finally speak, that you only meant, your speech." She gave her niece a significant look.

"So lets open the debate up then. Obi-Mon calls for change yet seems to be rather reluctant to say what he really has planned.

I on the other hand, am being very open about my knowledge and have thus far been accurate, something Obi-Mon has not. If he is incorrect about some of his facts, what other facts is he incorrect about?

I would hate to have the order mislead by opinion when no facts are presented." She smiled at this, Liana especially knew what it was like to be slandered and Gert wasn't above pointing it out, most especially when Luke himself was reminding her that fairness goes both ways.

"Ok, so your simple solution is to fire Mater Luke.

Why? What allegations do you have? What code has he broken?

I don't think you personally disliking some of the decisions he made is a good enough reason at all.

I think you need to show me what wrong doing he has committed that makes you believe he should step down."

Pappy, unable to not defend his wife's position addressed Liana as well. "Lia my dear...I see no arguing just adults voicing opinions in a civil manner...please understand I just feel if you accuse someone of something you _damn_ well better be able to back it up" His look was at once stern and kind and while Gert didn't wholly appreciate the interruption she was glad of the emotional support.

Liana however, set her face firmly, un-swayed by Gert's subtle assurances that she in fact had permission to hold this press conference reiterated her position. "Gert, you seem to have an issue with respect at every turn. You are constantly lobbing low ball remarks and questioning my honor publically and privately. You wish respect from others but don't seem to know how to show it.

I see no winners in this debate. It seems to me to be turning into a meaningless cat-fight. You have an office. You can move this discussion to plenty of other places.

I will also repeat that _this_ very behavior is the reason _none_ speak out and are afraid of trusting the Master's in this Order. I see nothing but insults and the like. This is not a debate. It's a witch hunt.

This is not a debate forum, but a place for _news_." She ended on a huff, her frustration with the small dark haired Jedi becoming more and more evident.

Gert smiled blandly. She had Liana nervous and this suited her just fine. She must be pretty desperate to not have this come to light if she's getting this worked up. "A political debate _is _news the last time I checked Liana.

As for questioning your honor, I have, and to your face as a matter of fact, not behind your back. Can you say the same for some of the views you have of me?

Again, unless Master Luke tells me he does not find this to be an appropriate forum, I am inclined to believe it very likely is." Or, you know, you could com him Gert thought, considering he's listening to every word you say.

"Why are you trying to stop Obi-Mon from answering me Liana? What are you afraid of exactly?

I have made no attack, merely asked questions. I have made no accusations, merely questioned data.

It's interesting how _badly_ you seem to want to silence me Liana. And yet you don't seem interested in silencing Obi-Mon.

I would like his answer to what are the allegations. I think everyone would like them.

Including Master Luke." So would I Luke told her. And well said as well he added almost as an after thought. Gert tapped out that she personally disliked anyone only allowing one point of view to be represented without foundation for that opinion. Luke made a noise of agreement

Obi-Mon cut in between the bickering women. "Master Gert, I have left a message for both you and Master Pappy in your offices. As for Master Luke, we have had conversations via com and the invitation was extended, per your point, to contact me on my com." He'd only just done this during their debate but it had occurred to him that Master Gert might have a point, he'd chosen not to learn before he spoke and was beginning to suspect he might not know as much as he'd hoped.

Liana, still flushed with frustration addressed Gert again, disregarding Obi-Mon's statement that was contrary to the core group's original plan. "I am not preventing Obi from answering. I have no fears in the least.

I am not trying to silence you at all. I only asked for the discussion to be moved, or did you not notice me telling you of the various places where you can go to speak?

Perhaps Obi is the only one respecting my request to that notion. I asked that the discussion be moved. Not that it had to be discontinued.

If Master Luke wanted it addressed, he would be here himself to do so. I highly doubt he needs you to fight his battles.

It can also be said, if Master Luke wished for this to continue he would say so as well.

As for my views of you... I try to treat people with the same respect they afford me. Some get more respect than they give."

Since when does she get to decide who talks where? Gert wondered to Luke on her data pad. She doesn't Gert, he told her, you have every right to speak for me in this matter, you know how I feel about the situation and Obi-Mon won't listen to me right now, but he might just listen to you.

Pappy, unwilling to admit the young man was making a sincere effort to adjust his thinking interjected. "Seems to me some would be more comfortable in the Jenasari but well, fine I made my point you have no proof you have no credibility..."

Gert smiled and addressed Liana again. Luke cautioned her to be diplomatic when he saw the turn of her smile, knowing all too well how very sharp her wit was when aroused with ire which he knew she had to be. "No, I _really_ think he should answer the questions here and this is why:

This is a _news_ station. Obi-Mon has asked for Master Luke to step down. He refuses to answer why. You are trying to stop him from saying so. I find this all _very_ interesting and I kind of think everyone _else_ does as well." Does she think no one watches the news but the people on it she wondered at Luke who chuckled.

"Many times this order has been accused of keeping secrets. You, Liana, are a very big fan of the truth coming out.

Well, it is coming out from all that I can see.

I am under the impression I hold the same rank as you to therefore you do not get to choose where I speak.

So Master Liana has no fear of the truth.

Obi-Mon, list your allegations against Master Luke regarding your reasons for asking him to step down.

I did say, did I not, that I would have questions as well. I did ask are you ready for them.

Perhaps I have chosen to no longer wait." Gert referred to the recent accusations that she'd been responsible for Mioti's death at Sappy Prime's. She had in fact been trying to save the boy's life with the help of many good dedicated Jedi going to the wall for her. Jedi she would not betray and put in danger simply because some like Zhanna howled for blood. Gert walked close enough to the edge of the dark side of the Force to know when someone was sincere in their conversion to the light side. Zhanna in her opinion, wasn't even close. Gert thought it far more likely that with the collapse of the Sith, she was simply joining the only other group of Force users to have someone to hang out with. Gert disagreed with the Council's decision to allow her to join the Order but not being on the Council, said nothing as she realized it was not her choice to make. The accusations against her were persistently made behind her back however and most especially by Jedi with a perchance of back stabbing like Angie Knobi. Angie, in Gert's opinion, did not have the credibility to question another's honor. She slept with her students, sometimes while she was in a relationship with another. She also made obvious passes at married or otherwise deeply committed Jedi like Seiga on occasion and Gert's opinion of the girl which had once been in good standing was going down at a rapid rate each day she interfered with peaceful negotiations or spoke in opposition of the Council she served.

Liana huffed angrily. "Continue then... I am done here and with _all_ of this conversation. Since you feel you deserve satisfaction... Feel free. I hope you get exactly what you are asking for." With that she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from the other debaters. When Pesk started to ask her a question she threw up her hands, got up and stormed off the set. Everyone watched her quietly for a moment.

Pappy, flicked his com and quietly left his niece a message. "Lia Com Me dear...we are accused of keeping secrets where would you move this to...I'm sorry positive talks are seen as aggressive." He looked helplessly at Gert who shrugged in response.

Gert looked after her niece who turned to look at her one last time before leaving. "I think this is a very positive talk. No secrets, no closed doors. Just exactly what has been asked for by you specifically as a matter of fact. Several times.

Oh and just FYI Liana... I did, as a matter of fact ask Luke if he had an issue with me doing this publically." She met the younger woman's eyes and Liana suddenly understood, Her father-in-law had asked the smaller woman and for this Liana felt betrayed and turned and left entirely.

Pesk interrupted the long pause. "Gentle beings, we have yet another transmission I'd like to play for the benefit of this debate." The holo above Obi-Mon was Ganner and he looked distraught. "Gert you need to stop! Everyone needs to stop! All this is because of some fragging rumors that people seem to like to spread I am not accusing anyone of anything just people need to stop believing everything they hear I just don't want anyone to leave and I want the Jedi Order to stay as is.." His holo swallowed hard, tears were obvious and ready to spill over in his eyes and Gert was moved to pity. She'd been hard on Obi-Mon because she had to be. She had to make sure the truth was there for all to see. For herself, for the Order, but most of all, for Luke whom she loved as much as if he were her brother.

She swallowed and her eyes went sad as she spoke. "I'm stopping the rumors Ganner. That's the point. I have asked a question and received no answer.

Leading me, and I _hope_ the rest of the order... to seriously think about the _reasons_ for people asking Master Luke to step down. Not just that they are annoyed with him.

I've not made a single accusation. Feel free to review my words if you don't believe me. I have only asked questions. Questions we all want answers to.

I will not have someone try to tear apart this Order with allegations not founded in fact. None of the rest of us should either.

It is a very serious thing to accuse someone else of committing a crime and defaming their good name publically or privately. In some places, it's illegal.

So I say again. What Codes were broken? What are the allegations against Master Luke?

Answer the question Obi-Mon." Gert sounded tired, frustrated, Luke encouraged her to buck up, that it would be ok.

"Ahhh… gentle beings, I believe I have a transmission from the Grand Master herself, Mara Jade Skywalker."

"I am asking that all discussion in this debate be dropped immediately. There are easily influenced younglings that could be watching this. I would like to redirect you to a private discussion in one of your offices. Thank you."

Gert stared wide eyed at her sister-in-law. Way to keep your wife in the loop old buddy she tapped out to Luke. Liana must have com'ed her Gert, she doesn't know I've been here watching all along or she would not have intervened. Doesn't help buddy. We're busted. Don't worry little sister, I'm on it.

"Unprecedented, gentle beings, we now have a transmission from Master Luke Skywalker."

Luke's familiar patient face appeared on the holo above Obi-Mon who looked at it almost slack jawed as he realized the Master had been watching and observing the entire time, something he thought was being ignored by all but Masters Gert and Pappy.

"This has been an interesting debate. If I am being asked to step down publically, I would like the charges be made public as well. What am I accused of that would require me to step down? Error in judgment? We all have had that. Standing up for myself? Any Jedi should do that.

This is what you have said Obi-Mon: "Then file this a rabble rousing. For I am only opening the way for those who have direct issues with him, to walk through. It appears I have gone out onto a limb and no one to seems to be following so it will have to be dropped. I have no personal proof, just grave concerns and rumors."

Are we going to start crucifying members of our order on nothing so much as rumors and grave concerns?

It is not as if we are in The Land of Palpatine, or some other Imperial country, where plots are conceived behind closed doors?" He smiled at his choice of words as they directly paraphrased what had been said of him in the private meeting among supposedly concerned citizens.

"It is time we moved forward and together as an Order. We have already made an attempt to do this with the Jedi Manifesto, and with the blanket pardon. These things have been in the works for weeks prior to the Councils approval of them. We have just started out with this. Let's make it work this time for each and everyone of us."

Gert stopped herself from clapping and gave Pappy a sharp look, her eyes clearly saying 'don't.'

Having missed the holo of Luke, Liana stormed back on the set and started repeating Mara's words, clearly having called the other woman in a final hope of quieting the voices seemingly against her. Mara had not known of her husband's plans and busy with other things, had all but forgotten Gert's request to let her handle things or else thought the younger woman had gone slightly too far.

Gert just smiled pleasantly.

"Well gentle beings, I believe that signals the end of this debate. Please stay tuned for our regularly scheduled broadcast. This is Pesk Joran'tvo and you have been watching Republic Holo-News." Pesk cut the transmission and smiled at all of them.

Gert looked at Obi-Mon. "Obi, you said you com'ed Luke, please give him the benefit of listening. He's really not making as bad of mistakes as you might believe. A lot is going on that he can't speak on because of security reasons. He's remaining silent on so many things because he's trying to protect the Shadow investigators working on the infiltration issues, not because he doesn't trust us."

"All right Gert, I'll listen, but you had better be right. I don't understand a lot of things going on right now and it looks like Luke is doing nothing at all to explain them or correct them."

"I know Obi-Mon but there are reasons for all of this, I assure you." She put out her hand for him to take. "It was a good debate Obi-Mon. It cleared out a lot of misconceptions."

He took her hand unwillingly. "Yah, well.." he said nothing further and turned and walked away. Gert looked after him sadly.

He's being manipulated Luke, they all are. I know he said back simply, I know. We'll make it right, it will be ok Gert.

Pappy had watched quietly and approached his wife after Obi-Mon left. "Ready to go?"

"Yah, I…"

"Miss Yonsz, could I interest you in a personal one on one interview? Possibly in regards to the Jedi Order or…"

"She has no further comment." Pappy said gruffly and lead his wife away. Gert shrugged and let herself be walked out. It was late, she was tired and an awful lot had gone on in a very short period of time. She had a lot of work to do before the next day. Her com clicked.

"Gert, Obi-Mon just buzzed for clearance to enter my office, wish us both luck."

"I do Luke, and may the Force be with you both."

"Thanks. I think we both need it."

Pappy looked at her quizzically.

"What, did you think I was flying by the seat of my pants old Mule? Hardly. I just hope it's enough to make it all right again. Luke and I have worked really hard to straighten this mess out. I think Obi-Mon and a few of the others are being manipulated frankly. Angie seems to know just exactly the right time to do exactly the worst thing and frankly, some of her statements are just too intelligent for her."

Pappy chuckled. His wife did not easily turn against another except with extreme justification and Angie had earned the small woman's ire. He knew Gert had called for her sanctioning on the council for breaking their mandate regarding the negotiations with the Don of the GG. The Council had agreed to not interfere but Angie had chosen to disregard the direct order and had nearly cause the collapse of the negotiations. This was not something his small princess would easily let go. She'd worked very hard to find a peaceful way to stop the sneak attacks and targeting of nearly defenseless padawans, Pappy rather doubted Gert would tolerate her hard work being ruined by a jealous silly Jedi Master who Pappy sometimes wondered if she really deserved the title.

Gert finally broke the companionable silence between them as they neared hr ship. "Do you need a ride?"

He looked down at her, small, dark hair, soft grey eyes, a gentle heart, his. "I just stopped on my way by. Have some stuff to do, Shadow things."

"Ah. Ok, well, I have to head back up to Sanctuary moon so I guess I'll see you later then. And um. Pappy, thanks, for the support, I ah, I appreciate it."

He smiled softly, knowing his wife's awkwardness had more to do with wanting to thank him more appropriately than any nervousness so he tilted her chin up and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Any time Princess, any time." He said softly and walked away into the dusk, headed for the ESPS bar in the hopes of ferreting out some much needed intel for Luke.

Gert watched him go and then boarded her ship feeling somewhat lonelier for his lack of presence.

She reached the base with no incident, said goodnight to her staff, waiving off curious questions from Marabeth and HiVolt and Ben, too tired to get into her reasons for her actions.


	5. Surprises

The next morning, she half heartedly watched the holo in her boredom, hoping it would take her mind off the day's negotiations. She needed to take the younglings on a field trip this morning so they would not feel so cooped up. Old Republic Park would be a good choice she thought, lots of plants to investigate from a variety of planets. Her thoughts were far away when she heard a most familiar voice on the line. A voice that had her ears perking up and her interest piqued.

It was clear the Holo had not been made in the studio, he'd most likely dropped it off Gert thought to herself as Obi-Mon's familiar face filled the screen.

"For all of you who are following the events that have occurred lately, more specifically the ones concerning my vote of no confidence with Master Luke, it is time for an update...

I have spoken with Master Luke regarding my concerns and the concerns of others yesterday along with Master Jacen who mediated for the two of us. I do believe that it was productive and informative for all parties involved. I expressed to the both of them that I believe that Master Luke so far, has not lead the order so far, down a road that encourages Jedi to respect one another nor has provided an atmosphere where true leadership has been present from him or the high council.

_However_! I have agreed to give my concerns time to be addressed! I have _not_ changed my opinion as of yet, but am going to allow for healing and change. If I see the change that was told was coming and leadership by both Master Luke and High Council becomes apparent, I will withdraw my vote of no confidence.

Please remember I only do these things because I completely despise the disrespect and negative attitudes that are present within the order but will also respect Master Luke and Master Jacen's request for time to continue with the healing process.

I _encourage all to do the same_! Allow for the time needed and trust that the Jedi Manifesto WILL be applied and put into practice by the leadership. We also must allow for the healing process to happen and be patient!"

Well well well Gert thought. That's an interesting turn. I wish I'd been a mynoc on the wall for that one. I bet that put a crimp in Pinky's big plans. Hopefully this afternoon, I can put another one in.

She got dressed and headed down to the kitchen to help get the kids ready for their field trip. She would only be taking the littlest of them because these were the ones to attract the least attention from the sith. Gert was not pleased to be confined to the base or to have to take such extreme caution when training her students. Luke had guessed correctly however, that Gert would have only worried herself sick if she'd let the children be taken up to the base without her to look after them and make sure they got some much needed motherly attention. Many of them were very far away from home and needed the comfort of a parent's love, even if that parent was in the form of their small skinny teacher.

"Ben, Volt, are you guys going to be ok up here without me this morning?"

"We'll be fine Gert, take the kids, be careful but enjoy the morning. You look like you need it." HiVolt told her, a kind smile in his eyes. He didn't always agree with the cofounder of BUDs but he did defer to and respect her authority.

"All right, com me if I'm needed, I'll be back well before half rotation so I can be at the Don's office on time today. Have a good morning."

"You too Master Gert." Ben told her with a smile. He could think of no Jedi that stood higher in his estimation than his own Master Ithiliwin and Master Gert. He watched the small Jedi healer and teacher board her small excited students into her ship and take off into the early dawn light and wondered when she ever slept. "Well Master Volt, what's on the agenda today?"

Gert landed the Eternity rose on a platform a few blocks away from the park. She'd discreetly com'ed Volk on her personal com system at Sanctuary Base the night before. Kandice and Jael were with her and she'd wanted his assurance that the sith would not attempt to harm either of them. She'd also wanted his take on Erveso's behavior. Volk had assured her that if the former Jedi Master was up to something, it wasn't sanctioned by the sith and frankly, they really hoped he would cut it out because if his plans succeeded, it would ruin the upcoming war if there was no Jedi Order to start one with. Gert had been amused by his logic and told him so. She'd also told him to be very careful, that it had not been hard for her to figure out he was Pappy's mole and that meant others would find out as well, others less inclined to let it slide. He'd called her mom, and then laughed at her astonished look. Pappy's younger years had involved one woman after another and Gert had her fears that children would show up at her doorstep any day now.

"Come on kids, stay together and don't lose your buddy." She chirped at them happily and lead them through the usually congested streets now nearly empty of pedestrians with the fear of war looming over the city. The kids followed her excitedly into the park and started investigating immediately. After about an hour, they regrouped to show Gert the things they had discovered.

In a moment, their relaxed morning at the park would drastically change.

Gert stood, her dark, gold flecked hair was bound in it's usual bun and wavy fall. Little ones clustered around her as she stared down the one person she held in animosity. She had once held the man with regard and respect, but that was long ago when she herself had been a padawan. Long before he became Darth Erveso, she had looked up to him, a great Jedi Master who had once lead with dignity, once been respected. The only things she felt for him now were pity and contempt.

"Davva." She would never again give him the respect of the term Master nor would she dignify his chosen Sith name. "Missed me that much did you?"

"I have no interest in you little Den Mother. You are helpless and idiotic, not to mention a killer of children." He smirked behind the mask he wore.

"So says a traitor to an order that once believed in him and so often the judge of us all. Come to gloat again over our minor failures while your own order crumbles at your feet? If you have no interest in me why do you come to frighten my children then?"

"Your babbling bores me little bitch."

Gert merely smiled, he had spent too much of his time trying to goad her with the same tired tirade for her to think for a moment that she bored him. "I suppose to the deaf, the song of wisdom is nothing but a senseless vibration of the throat." She smirked "I'll save you some time Davva, your opinions of me are well known." Ticks her fingers off as she goes. "Baby killer, that's my personal favorite. Ugly, dumb, I babble, and I am a liar. Did I miss any?" She cocked an eyebrow in mild amusement. Some of the children drew closer to her, some out of anxiety, others protectively. She sent them a soft soothing nudge in the Force.

"Stay in the temple with your babies murderess. Until you kill them of course too. Not that you will ever face justice for doing so in the corrupt little world you and Toolwalker have built."

"Or what Pinky?" She grinned at him. "You'll take another cheap shot at me? Do feel free to try any time. I have told you before and I will tell you again, it is you who are in danger not I if you should confront me again. You are far too certain about your victory over me. Even if you should succeed in killing me, I will merely become one with the Force and you my dear Davva, will be hunted all your days. Not, that you already aren't. It was quite foolish of you to come after me the way you did last time. Luke was not pleased. Even now you will face justice."

He laughed scornfully. "I hope you don't mean Toolwaker. He is as inept as a Jedi as you are. I left the Order because of fools like you."

"And yet you return time and again. Whether you realize it or not, there is something there yet that you love. Though I highly doubt it has anything to do with your belief that you could restore the Jedi to the image you believe is what we ought to be."

"You are still as stupid as ever Gert, and always will be. The potential you had as a padawan has been corrupted by your association with the Skywalkers."

Gert smiled broadly. "Why yes Davva, it rather has. I'd appreciate it if you left now however. I am well looked after here and I doubt your day would end well if you didn't leave."

He bowed. "Yes, your little charges would of course attack me." His voice was mocking, cruel.

"We would!" Danid piped up, his small chest pumped out defiantly. "And so would Master Pappy!" Lyra, the littlest of all of them chimed in.

Davva laughed loudly at this. "Master Pappy… another murderer of children… and a dead one as well. Pardon me lady but I'm not terribly afraid of your resident Force ghost."

"Then perhaps you should be afraid of the live me." For there stood behind Davva, the very man he'd just mocked. His deep voice rumbled with a warning students soon learned to be weary of much the way they were weary when their small mistress's tone went to a barely audible murmur.

Davva turned and though he wore a mask, Gert read the shock the man felt at seeing the old Mule live and in the flesh. "Tell your ugly little den mother to stay in her temple where she belongs traitor." He spat the words.

Pappy frowned deeply and leaned forward, his hand on the butt of his saber. "My wife will go anywhere she pleases… Pinky. I recommend you consider deeply the results of harming her in any way. She is deeply loved and respected even outside of our Order. Your life would quickly become short and unpleasant. Unless I find you first… then it will just become unpleasant." He smiled grimly at the other man.

"You two disgust me, you speak of being Jedi and then make threats. You are no Jedi. The Jedi are dead, replaced by liars and killers." He turned and stalked off the way he came. Pappy made to follow him but a soft whimper from one of the children stopped him. He looked behind him and seeing it was Jael, Kaiden's daughter scooped her up and hugged her instead.

"Hey, he's gone, we won't let him hurt you." He said as the little girl hugged the large man tightly.

"He's a bad man isn't he Master Gert?" One of the boys asked.

"Yes dear, he's a very bad man. Lucky for you, a very good man watches out for you." She gave the boy a little grin and a wink.

"Uh huh, Master Pappy watches out for all of us, even you Master Gert!"

"He's a mean man too Master Gert! I think you're pretty!" The others nodded in agreement. The same girl tugged on her robe until Gert leaned over for her to whisper loudly in her ear. "Master Pappy thinks you're pretty too!"

"He does?!" Gert feigned complete ignorance. "How can you tell?"

"Cause he gives you the mooshy smile my daddy gives my mommy when he sees her."

"Really?" Gert gave the girl a serious look. "Do you suppose he likes me?"

"Oh he likes you…" Pappy moved in, still holding Jael. "He likes you a whole lot." He leaned in and lowered his eyes to her lips, wishing he had a moment to show her exactly how much.

She smiled slowly at him, a promise for later. "Oh good, I'd hate to have to trade you in for a younger model old Mule." An empty threat, though the large man's hair had grayed early, he was still trim and heavily muscled. The sight of him with his shirt off tended to set her into a warm slow melt down. More than once the man had taken advantage of her inability to resist him. She wasn't about to admit to him that it was the soul within him that caused her to have such a strong response, not his physical appearance. Most of the men and women in the Order were physically fit. Only one of them had succeeded in getting under her natural reserve and forced her to face her feelings.

Knowing where her step-mother had intended to spend her day, Gran had sought Gert out for some last minuet diplomatic plans before their lunch meeting. Grainne walked in on them like this, surrounded by children, one in her father's arms, and her parent's hearts in their eyes. She smiled to herself. I want this with Jass, what they have. This complete trust and complete faith in one another that deepens every day. It had taken her a long time to understand the bond they had, many times she had resented it so deeply she had almost hated her father's wife. Gert had fortunately, understood and been patient. Had in fact, occasionally treated the younger woman's anger and resentment with gentle humor simply because she actually understood.

"Hey, break it up you two, this is a family show. Mom, did I just see Pinky leaving?"

Before Gert could do much more than open her mouth to dismiss the importance of the matter Pappy's deep voice rumbled in argument. "Yah, and he seemed just a little bit surprised to see me. You would think Volk's defection would have sent a message." He set Kaden's daughter down.

"Geeze mom, does he have a crush on you or what?" Gran winked.

"He'd better not." Pappy grumbled, giving his small wife a look that clearly said 'Mine'.

Knowing anything she said would make her sound ungrateful at this point Gert gave up and said nothing.

"Why did I have to feel the kids' fear by they way Gert? Don't you ever think to call on us for help?"

"All aboard the Pappy-wan Kenobi guilt express." She murmured to herself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." He narrowed his eyes.

"I said thank you dears for worrying about me." Gert smiled brightly at them both.

Gran chuckled. "Hey, before you start punching each other, Uncle Luke wants to see you both." She gave Gert a long look. Some time ago they had come to an agreement that so long as it was information Gert knew without asking about Pappy's job as a Shadow they would discuss. Knowing what her father was doing and why had often relieved much of the younger woman's anxieties and had built a bond of trust that had not existed before. Gert had also recently very aggressively backed her daughter into a corner until she fought back. This had angered some of the order, most notably Dawn, but Gert knew her family well and was well aware her niece, the lead instructor of the Saber Arts Academy and a Council member was often very firm in getting what she wanted. Knowing her daughter's gentleness and tendency to cave in to make everyone happy and knowing she would be very hurt if someone took over running BUDs away from her in fact if not in name, she pushed that button until she got the response she wanted out of her. Gert had no desire to lead, only nurture. Few if any in the order could remember her drawing her saber, she had in fact, been known to walk into combat and come out the winner without having ever used it. But she wasn't about to let anyone force her daughter into a decision she didn't believe in simply to make others happy. Gert had the ability to just take over and run things much as Leia did. Knowing the younger woman would resent it if she was overt about it she did so gently only when necessary. Gert was much happier to teach the girl to stand and lead than to have to do so herself and take time away from other priorities like her probationary students and her research projects for her brother-in-law.

Gert and Gran were both very unique as Jedi. They could both be described as off the charts so far as Force ability went. Gert was simply a throw back to her family's glory days but Gran had been planed. Her mother Arwen had deliberately intoxicated Pappy and seduced him to make what many in the order described as an 'uber' Jedi baby. Pappy had teasingly called her that when he learned he had a grown daughter, having though for many years the woman he'd fallen in love with was simple and ordinary when in fact she was a Jedi Shadow and like him, extremely strong in the Force. The term had hurt the girls feelings badly for some time until Gert admitted to the girl she too had grown up feeling like an alien.

Gert wasn't sure why the other woman had seduced Pappy when she'd already had his heart. To this day he still loved her deeply though she'd been dead most of Gran's life. A lesser woman than Gert might find herself resenting the love he felt but Gert couldn't, it had given her a daughter she might never have had on her own. Gert had always been pragmatic and so simply accepted the situation as it was. There was, after all, room enough in his heart for both of them. He did not, after all, show any signs of loving her any less for having loved so deeply before, if anything, he seemed to love her as much or more in her estimation and very much in the same way. Pappy had given her Arwen's saber to show her, in his own way, that he loved her just as much and why. Gert could feel the essence of the other woman still on the blade and understood something Pappy did not, she and Arwen were much the same, in fact, would have been close friends had they known one another. Pappy had effectively fallen in love with the same woman twice which amused Gert as she had for the majority of her life, presumed she was a one of a kind. Some would assume this assessment was due to her arrogance but in reality, it was due to her lack thereof. She had long ago learned to value herself based on her skills rather than the assessment of others. What she knew Davva thought was a good Sabbac face was in fact, simply lack of interest in his opinion or anyone else's for that matter.

"Did he say what he wanted Gran?" Gert asked regarding the message from Luke.

"Noooo…" Grainne glowered, miffed at the family tendency to keep secrets from her. "I'm just a kid, what do I know."

"Stop it Gran." Gert said mildly and the younger woman winced, this habit of assuming it was because she was young was a long discussed topic between the two. Occasionally the younger woman backslid forgetting that her parents had both served on the Council, her father was in the Shadows and her mother seemed to know a lot more about what was going on than anyone else in the order. In fact, often Gert was instigating such things but wasn't about to let on to this fact to anyone not already involved. She'd risk her own reputation in the order in a heart beat but she made sure only those that needed to know had any idea who worked for her in what unofficial capacity or who she kept company with outside of the order.

"Gran, will you take the kids back up to Sanctuary Base for me? I think Pappy and I had better go talk to Luke right away. We'll meet you at the Don's office at half rotation, don't wait for us, just go right in and talk about Sappy's or something until we get there all right?"

"All right but you owe me Mom."

"Yah yah, put it on my tab kid." With that Gert and Pappy headed for the Temple, wondering what Luke could possibly need that he needed them in person before the meeting.


	6. Memories of a padawan

Gert vividly remembered the day a couple weeks before Pappy came back. She'd been going through a pile of security holos one late afternoon, hoping to catch a glimpse of Euso or his droid when Luke had walked in to Pappy's office where she was sitting. She could not say it was hers. It broke places in her heart to acknowledge Gran's ascertation that Pappy's belongings were hers to do with as she chose including his office. In her heart she knew Pappy would be back. Logically he was unlikely to survive his mission. She trusted the Force but knew the Force had no vested interest in her old Mule remaining alive.

Luke walked into her office and plopped into the ancient office chair across from her. He was dressed in black Jedi cloths with a dark brown tabard and black obi. It looked nice on him in spite of the tiredness in his serious eyes. "Any luck?"

"Some, mostly just stuff to investigate later. We have a handful of Jedi I'd like to discreetly talk to about some of their behavior and a couple of our Order's members need to remember to act like Jedi in public not horny teenagers."

Luke covered his mouth with his hand and chuckled.

One of Gert's side jobs was to keep an eye on Jedi known for public displays of affection to make sure they didn't go too far. Cultural differences aside, some used their robes to get dates. Pappy had once wondered at her why someone in a basically monistic order would think this would be a good way to pick up members of the opposite sex.

"Well Gert, perhaps for some, this is how they cope with the stress of the impending war. Just because the Sith have made no move yet doesn't negate the fact that they have openly declared war on us." He smiled at her though the smile was serious. "Different people deal with stress differently."

"Yah well, yah, isn't it sort of redundant for the Sith to declare war on us anyways? Sorry, I'm just stressed. Gran's staff is spread too thin and while Hi-Volt is doing a wonderful job with the Sanctuary Base, he really doesn't like younglings. That's why we always gave him slightly older students. He'll be ok but I worry about him."

"Gert, you worry about everything." He grinned just a little bit.

"Ok, I'll give you that one." She thumbed thoughtfully at her datapad for a while. "Luke, Euso hangs around a lot at the base now."

Luke thought for a long moment about this. "Does he suspect anything?"

"Truthfully? I think he suspects I've gone to the dark side and might be helping the Sith. Is there any likelihood that Euso is just a pawn?" Gert looked at Luke with concern. She genuinely liked her Master's former student prior to her though she disagreed with his personal choices, she might spend a good deal of her time inebriated but the substances were legal.

"Some but it's unlikely. My own information tends to lean towards him being a knowing and willing participant. They may think they are rebuilding the Order but it's being rebuilt on lies and the ideals of dark siders." Luke frowned and looked down at his com. "Frag," He swore uncharacteristically. "Lighty is leaving holo-messages in my office again."

"That's odd, why would he be com'ing you right now? Especially with his goons running more amok than usual?"

"He wants to renegotiate the terms of the non interference agreement we have. Normally it's just to keep the Shadows out of Sappy Primes but with our resources spread thin in preparation for Sith attacks, he knows the temple isn't being well protected and is taking advantage of that."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Tell him off. I never liked the agreement Mara made with them in the first place."

Gert thought about the war looming on the horizon, she thought about all the emergency preparations she herself made including getting all the kids out of BUDs in spite of it's advanced security system. She thought about the location of most of the order being off planet putting down small skirmishes before they snowballed and how under protected the temple and Order in general were at the time and she thought about the sheer numbers of goons Lighty had at his disposal. "You're going to do _what_?!" Gert all but shrieked at him. "Are you _insane_?!" she yelled.

Luke stiffened and glared at his small friend who would soon be his sister-in-law. "My Order, my choice."

"_Our_ Order and you don't get to pick and choose who you treat diplomatically and who you do not Luke."

"Gert, I am not one of your students to be corrected and yelled at when they get the answer wrong."

"You ought to be. Do you realize what you are doing?"

"I don't like the agreement Mara made with them." He said simply with an almost negligent shrug but his body language suggested it was a sore point.

"I don't care what you like, you are going to drag us into a battle of wills with a crime lord that we can't _win_." Gert glared. "In case you haven't notice, we don't _have_ enough Jedi to fight two wars at the same time."

"Gert, they sneak into the temple, blow things up, defecate on the walls for fun, harry padawans, write crude messages all over the inside of the temple. What do you want me to do? Just allow it to continue?"

"No Luke, I want you to talk to them and find out why they are doing it and what you need to do to get them to stop. I asked Sappy to leave the other day and it took a couple of tries but he did. They must want something to go to this trouble. Don't tell me you didn't find out what." Gert threw up her hands in frustration knowing full well that Luke had done just that. Luke labeled them gangsters and thugs who had killed a promising padawan, albeit one that had invited death but she realized immediately by the set look on his face there was no reasoning with him over this. "Luke, I still have some connections with the GG, I'll talk to them… on one condition… you stay out of the negotiations. The last thing I need you to do is upset the balance by putting your foot down and not looking where you step."

"No deal Gert. You'll promise them anything to get them to leave your students alone. We both know it. I'll let you deal with them on one condition. No tithes to them and I get final say on what the Order accepts as a deal."

Gert glared at him. She'd dropped off excess baked goods a time or two to Lighty's office. She did it in large part because he'd genuinely tried to help her save Mioti's life regardless of how things looked. He'd gone to her in secret out of respect for her personally and knowing how she felt about the kid. Lighty was a cold blooded killer but Gert had done him a favor or two in the past and he held her in high esteem in a way he did not hold other Jedi and that was why he'd gone to her, not Jacen, Mioti's master nor Ithi who had chosen to watch over the hapless boy. Gert knew the kid better than any other Jedi and so Lighty had let her know what the kid had been up to and offered her a compromise.

Her excuse for leaving Lighty baked goods on the other hand, ran more along the lines of she'd baked more than the Order could eat in a day and she didn't want it to go stale. Her unstated goal had been the GG staying away from her students in the future, something she'd never have openly told anyone but Pappy and Gran.

"I never liked Mara's decision either but I wasn't on the Council and had no say at the time. She's gone back to Chiss space, it's your game Luke but I warn you, interfere with negotiations in some idealistic epiphany that we can hold them back and contain the damage and I'll take a chunk out of your shebs. You spend all day every day coordinating with the Jedi that handle combat so the Sith don't win. That's your responsibility. This is mine. I'm the resident princess, I'll deal with this" She sighed. "It's the least I can do to make up for Mioti."

"Gert," Luke said gently, his ire spent. "Only you blame yourself for what happened to Mioti."

"You know that isn't true Luke. The new Council wants my head. Nothing Jacen writes or gets them to agree to will change that. They won't be satisfied until I'm no longer a Jedi or worse."

Luke looked long and hard at her. She'd suffered so much and then been forced to endure daily reprisals of the results of a failed mission. She'd told the Council she'd acted as a mother not as a Jedi, she'd told him the reason she did not go to the Council or the Shadows was because she knew they had a mole and didn't know who it was. She'd told him she couldn't trust anyone on the Council except himself, his wife, Jacen Molar and of course Pappy. Liana had been very hurt when Gert admitted she'd not been able to clear the other woman from suspicion and Luke suspected this was the main issue between the two. A once close friendship had gone very cold over it.

"Gert, I won't lie to you and tell you that you didn't make any mistakes, you did, but you didn't compromise good Jedi and good people to save yourself either. If the Council can't see that then it isn't you that is a bad Jedi. It's them."

"But Luke, it won't make any difference. The previous Council exonerated me. I was given a permanent assignment to train difficult students so nothing like this happens again and it's still not enough for them until they have blood. Especially now that Gran and Ithi and I fired Dawn. She may be working for Zhanna and I don't trust Zhanna's assurances that she's chosen to join the light side. I think she's lying Luke. I think that but many listen to her, many believe her words. She saw me break down and blame myself for Mioti's death the night of Council when I offered to step down. She thinks because I hold myself accountable that I did it intentionally or planned for him to die. Luke, I have blood on my hands and that's the truth, but it's not by my choosing." Gert's words came out in soft almost sobs. Even when she tried to get past the issue still she was blamed. It hurt her more deeply than any insult ever hurled at her or any wound she'd ever received. Gert had never been a failure before and that alone was a horrible pain. Being accused of intentionally harming the boy she loved as a son by people she'd once trusted was quite possible the most cruel thing anyone could have done.

"Gert…" Luke sighed. They had talked about this and Luke had begged her to let go of her pain and often she did but it was hard he knew, for her to do that when loud voices cried out her guilt and screamed for her blood. Gert, in his estimation, might bleed every day over the matter regardless. Luke put a comforting hand on hers. "Gert, let them say what they want. You were exonerated. They cannot try you again for the same crime no matter what they want. Aside from that, you are a good Jedi, you always have been. Even when you didn't want to be." He smiled in gentle amusement remembering how she almost got removed from the Order for a less than wise prank of poodoo bombing the Sith temple then pointedly advertising that a Jedi had done it.

"I don't feel like a very good Jedi Luke. I feel like a failure."

"I know Gert but you need to let that go. I need your help. I let my own feelings get in the way of what is right to do. I don't think Lighty will listen to me right now and he most definitely does not like my terms. I've already told him he's not getting what he wants."

Gert looked at Luke, her eyes red rimmed. "No Luke, he won't. You've spoken too harshly to him recently and he's ready to escalate the issue. You tell me what you are willing to compromise on and what you are not and I'll present it to him and Prime and Jimmy and get them to agree to our terms."

"I'm not giving them anything Gert. Nothing."

"Wrong attitude boss. What do they want and which of those things are not an issue. What do we have to offer that they might want or need."

"They want me to bow down to them and let them run roughshod over the Temple. I'm not giving them anything."

Gert huffed out an annoyed sigh. "Luke, that isn't what they want, that's what they think they want because they know they can't have that."

"Huh? Gert, that's backwards logic."

"And very likely accurate. It's Lighty after all." She smiled slightly though she still felt ready to brain Luke for messing this one up and he knew it.

"All right, no tithes. We don't pay them tribute for a little security and I am not apologizing for anything or agreeing to bow to their wishes. They aren't getting a Jedi subsidized free ride or being treated like they are our equals."

"Fair enough, I told you, I never liked that agreement Mara made. I know she did it as a favor to Pappy but he tends to take the easy way out when he can and because she didn't get to grow up with him, sometimes Mara gives in to Pappy way to easily."

Gert and Luke had discussed Pappy's supposed death. She'd stormed into his office and demanded answers and been very frank about the fact that she knew the old Mule was still alive and she knew Luke was in on it. Luke was still trying to puzzle out how she'd figured _that_ out when not even Jacen Molar, the head of the Shadows had. Gert had a bit of a reputation for being somewhat scatter brained. One Luke knew to be completely false.

Most of the Order knew Gert as the gentle somewhat motherly senior instructor of BUDs. Only a few remembered the sharp tongued and sharp witted padawan fresh off her final assignment for the New Republic. She'd resigned and decided to concentrate on completing her Jedi training. Her original Master had neglected the woman's training, not knowing what to do with an advanced student and in frustration Gert had taken to be a trouble maker. Master Stitch and convinced the young woman to stay when she announced she would not be staying with the Order because it was too disorganized and too lax in it's training. Gert had later had her original Master's name stricken from her records, only Master Stitch showed. She'd felt he deserved the credit as he'd actually helped her grow as a Jedi instead of just leaving her to her own devices. She'd later forgiven the other woman but had been wary of her regardless.

Because of all this, Gert rightfully felt she could speak to Luke any time she wished and often in any manner she wished. Some of the Order mistook this as disrespect on her part but Luke understood it was simply that she trusted him to understand her meaning regardless of her tone which he did.

"All right Gert, tell me what you need and I'll make sure you get it."

"Just keep your door open for me. I'm sure they will have a very silly list of demands, some of which we can safely ignore and others we can't. I'll have to play it by ear until I talk to them."

"Done. In the mean time, keep Euso distracted and try to get your hands on that protocol droid of his will you?"

"Been working on that one Luke. I should have access in a few days. Whether he suspects me or not he still trusts me. It's very odd. He does not think I will betray him and I can't tell if it's because he thinks I'm a good Jedi or because he thinks I might be on his side, whichever that one is."

"You're doing a good job Gert. Thank you for helping me with this, I know how deeply it bothers you to know your Master's former student might be a traitor."

"If he is I will personally take a chunk out of him for our Master. He shames Stitch. I can't allow that."

"It is hard to have someone you love bring shame to your family." Luke said, thinking of his own father. "But you can't let it get in the way of doing what is right."

"It won't. You know I abhor violence and would have lashed him verbally not physically."

"Just making sure." Luke got up. "I have some strategy meetings with Durge and Slipshade in about an hour I need to prepare for so I'll let you be for now." He looked at her, this small strong woman he admired in some ways that he knew felt anything but strong at this time and smiled knowingly. "I know you can do this Gert. I believe in you."

"Glad someone does." She murmured to his retreating back.

She'd gone to Sappy Prime's the next day and told the bartender she wanted to see Lighty. Neph had walked in, seen her sitting at the bar and sat quietly next to her. "It bothers you doesn't it?"

"Yah, it stinks of death in here Neph." She'd taken a long swig of 100 year old Corellian whiskey to settle her nerves.

"Must be pretty important, you never come here any more."

"It is." She said simply.

"I'll go get him." Neph said, patting her hand gently and walked away. Lighty showed up within moments and the negotiations had begun with the words do you miss me Lighty? I miss you.


End file.
